Darkest Moments
by AnonymousAva
Summary: Sequel to New Beginnings, Familiar Conclusions. After two fun years solving mysteries around the world, the now adult gang were really just getting into their stride as young investigators. That is, until a devastating double tragedy which sets a now vengeful Mystery Inc. back on collision course with the villain who started it all, leading to one final climactic showdown.
1. A Tiki Adventure

**A.N. This is the sequel to _New Beginnings, Familiar Conclusions,_ set two years after the final events in that story. To be honest you could read this without having read the first story but it will make a lot more sense if you have!**

**This continues my mature, darker take on the Scooby Doo characters, where their lives have been that much tougher, the adventures that little bit more perilous, the stakes that little bit higher, and the villains...well they're not messing around put it that way, it's rated 'M' for a reason.**

* * *

**The sun was beginning to fade now but it didn't diminish the vigour of the vacationers that had flocked to Hawaii. The beautiful, sandy beaches were still filled with families, groups of youngsters having fun, and sun worshippers determined to get every last drop of the sun's rays onto their already brown and, for many, crisp, red bodies. Along the water's edge, surfers thronged the waves, competing for the best spots alongside the many other water sports taking place. Further out, boats could be spotted, filled with yet more tourists, snorkelling, or using the glass bottom of their vessels to examine the beauty of the clear crystal waters, and the sea life it was home to.**

**Away from the tranquil, tourist trappings of the resort however, deeper into the leafy parts of Hawaii, five familiar faces were once again battling some hideous, masked foe. As the mystery unfolded, they had split up to search for clues somewhere along the line; three splitting off to explore the dense undergrowth near the village they were staying in, the other two, a boy and a girl, exploring the village area but had soon been chased by some dastardly creature. At first, it all looked entirely familiar, but something about this story had already been flipped on it's head...**

**The door to a shack burst open, smashing back hard against the wall with an almighty bang from the force it had been thrown open with. As it continued to judder in the door frame, a young, blond man sprinted through, closely followed by his companion, a petite brunette with glasses, who was already gasping for breath.**

**As soon as she was safely through, the man reached again for the heavy door, and pushed his back against it to try and force it closed. Seeing his struggles, the girl too pushed both her hands flat against the metal, and shoved as hard as she could. It seemed to take a lifetime for the pair but eventually it slid into place.**

**The two leaned against it, breathing heavily from the chase and the combined effort it took to force the door closed.**

**The boy kept his weight firmly pressed against the door, grimacing as he felt the vibrations from the other side as something tried to force it's way through, thumping violently against the metal. He gritted his teeth as each new shove seemed stronger, hammering against his back and he fought to keep it closed, needing to brace his knees now.**

"**Velma! I can't hold this much longer, hurry up!" he instructed the brunette who was frantically looking around for something to barricade the door with. She eventually settled for a table and chair, which she hastily dragged into place underneath the door-jamb. There were a couple more frustrated shoves for them to withhold; it sounded like someone had thrown their whole body at the door, before finally the attempts ceased and everything was still again. Whatever was trying to get through, had obviously given up for the time being at least, much to the relief of the boy and girl.**

**Simultaneously, the pair slid down to the floor, breathing deeply from all their efforts to get away.**

"**Well Velma," the boy said, turning to his friend with a wry expression on his face. "We finally got to Hawaii just like you always wanted. Aren't you glad you came, huh?"**

"**Shut up Fred," she responded sharply. "I hope you have a plan!"**

"**Come on, you know me, I always have a plan, I can't believe you would ever doubt me," he said, flashing her a boyish grin.**

"**A _good _plan?" she replied, raising an eyebrow at the blond.**

"**You didn't stipulate that part," he replied breezily, before holding his hand out to her to help pull her up. "Come on, we've got to find another way out of here before our Tiki friend comes back."**

"**I sure hope Daphne and the boys are having a better time of it than we are," she sighed.**

* * *

"**Really guys?" the redhead rolled her eyes to the darkening skies in frustration, as she watched the young man and dog tuck into yet another snack.**

**He raised his eyebrow at her as if he couldn't believe she was even making an issue of it.**

"**Relax Daphne, mystery solving is hard work, I keep telling you that," he replied, grinning as he took another bite.**

"**But this is the third time already!" Daphne sighed despairingly, she couldn't believe in a village as small as this one, that there were as many outlets to buy food, their hosts were only too obliging to keep feeding them too.**

"**No wonder Velma wanted to ditch you guys," she added somewhat bitchily before noticing the grin rapidly disappear from Shaggy's face.**

"**Low blow Daphne, low blow," Shaggy sulked. "It's complicated between me and her right now."**

"**Reah romplicated," a second voice piped up and Daphne looked at Scooby in amusement.**

**Nobody could remember the exact moment Scooby Doo started to 'talk', Shaggy thought it had happened somewhere between Rome and Budapest on their European adventures. Despite Velma instantly making it her life's mission to find out HOW Scooby Doo began to talk, they were yet to make any serious headway on the reasons behind it too.**

**Once they had, quite reasonably, got over their initial shock at this unthinkable feat, they had all very quickly embraced it, so much so that a Great Dane with a speech impediment became something entirely normal to them. It became the unwritten rule of the gang not to question it. Scooby Doo had always been their mascot, this unusual development led to him becoming the outright fifth member of their group.**

**And nobody was happier about this unexpected development than Shaggy. The only remaining emblem of the Rogers' family, Shaggy had always had a loving bond with the dog, but always considered his closest relationships were always with Fred, and later, briefly, Velma.**

**Those complicated reasons with Velma, of being together and then falling apart over and over again, had led him to seek solace with his four legged friend instead.**

**Regarding Fred though, although he remained his best friend in name, in reality over the last two years, Shaggy had started to feel him drift further away. He hadn't wasted much time leaving their shared apartment to go and live with Daphne, and whilst they still remained close within the gang, it was Scooby who had become Shaggy's real best friend, hilariously offering 'advice' on his continuing and tiresome relationship woes with Velma.**

**Sensing yet another awkward tension between the pair, Fred had surprisingly and generously agreed to pair himself with Velma today, leaving Daphne with Shaggy and Scooby.**

**At first it had been a lot of fun for her, nothing could make her laugh like the goofy antics of Shaggy and the giant Dane, but after the third snack stop in a ridiculously short time period, she was beginning to lose her patience.**

**Taking charge, she dragged them both away from the latest snack shack before they could contemplate ordering anything else.**

**Scooby fixed her with his saddest, 'puppy dog eyes' act, and she almost wavered before she shook her head resolutely.**

"**Sorry Scoob, we're here to solve a mystery," she stated firmly.**

"**Fine," Shaggy sulked again, reluctantly following Daphne away from the shacks and into the jungle they were supposed to be investigating.**

**They walked together for a little while, until sharp-eyed Daphne suddenly saw something glistening on the ground, which she stopped to pick up. She held it up for Shaggy to look at, who shrugged his shoulders uncertainly. As she was about to climb back to her feet, his expression changed markedly and she too could feel a presence behind her. She didn't have to ask them what it was; both his and Scooby's eyes were wide as saucers and they started to shake uncontrollably.**

"**Ti...ti...ti...ki...man!" Shaggy eventually stammered out, still rooted to the spot.**

**Without even looking behind her, Daphne stood up, delivering a timely elbow right into the guy's ribs as he attempted to grab hold of her.**

**Without hesitation now, Shaggy's arm shot forward to pull her away, and she struggled to keep up with the lightning quick Shaggy and Scooby as they raced away, the Tiki menace hot on their heels.**

"**Don't worry Daphne..." he panted, still grabbing onto her hand tightly. "If there's one thing Scoob and I have learnt to do very well over the last few years, it's how to run away from the creeps in the masks!"**

"**Re're rold rampions," Scooby told her proudly.**

**Daphne glanced fondly at Scooby, as Shaggy turned back to say something further but took his eyes off the route ahead.**

"**Shaggy, look out!" Daphne called in alarm but it was too late, Shaggy had already made acquaintance with the tree's low lying branches and he shuddered to the floor from the impact, losing grip of Daphne.**

"**Scatter!" she shrieked as the Tiki Man closed in on them all. Shaggy recovered quickly from the collision to grab Scooby Doo in time and carry him away. He caught a glimpse of Daphne's vibrant red hair fly past him before she disappeared from his sight.**

**Assessing the situation quickly with the dense undergrowth all around him, he sensed a hide and wait it out was the best strategy here. Keeping several paces ahead of the masked nightmare, he quickly dove into a bush, urging Scooby to keep quiet, Scooby Doo did not have to be told twice, curling up without a sound. Shaggy held his breath and began to count to 300, waiting for the footsteps to fade away. He reached 287 before he finally felt safe enough to re-emerge. Peaking his head cautiously from the bushes, he looked every which way before breathing a contented sigh of relief and stepped from the bush. The Tiki Man was gone.**

"**See Daphne," he called her flippantly. "I told ya Scooby and I are experts in evading the nut jobs."**

**He waited to hear the rustle of the bushes that would announce Daphne's arrival, or the sarcastic comment she was sure to follow up with, but neither were forthcoming.**

**He wandered a little further in, Scooby at his heels, assuming she too had simply hidden.**

"**Daphne?" A cool, clammy sensation started to settle on his neck at her continued absence.**

"**DAPHNE?!" he shouted a little louder, hoping against hope she simply could no longer hear him.**

"**Raphne?" Scooby also called.**

**Shaggy desperately tried to ignore the rising sense of panic building within him and tried to cover the moment with his trademark humour.**

"**Daphne! This isn't funny, hide and seek finished ages ago," he called airily, "come out, come out wherever you are..._please?" _he added feebly.**

"**She's rot rere Raggy," Scooby said sadly.**

"**Yeah, I can see that Scooby!" Shaggy snapped, he had gone past simple panic already and was now heading into full scale meltdown mode. "What are we going to do Scooby?!" he wailed, a look of pure despair on his face. "First time we ever get to go off with Daphne and we freaking lose her!"**

"**Red's gonna kill you," Scooby stated solemnly and all the colour immediately drained from Shaggy's face as he came to the same terrifying realisation.**

"**_Shit. Fred._ What the hell am I going to tell Fred?! Oh godddd...I am _so _ screwed Scooby!" Shaggy's hands were on his head now and he started to pace in little circles, talking to himself now.**

"**And Velma! God imagine how smug she's going to be about this! I can just hear her now. _Trust Shaggy to get Daphne kidnapped by the Tiki Man..."_**

"**Raggy..."**

"**_Shaggy the screw up!"_**

"**Raggy..."**

"_**I told you Shaggy couldn't be trusted...**_**what is it Scooby?" He finally asked in irritation, looking straight at his dog now.**

**Scooby grimaced and waved a paw at him to indicate an approaching presence behind Shaggy, who sighed heavily, resigning himself to his doom.**

**He almost wished that it was the return of the Tiki Man, figuring that he would probably be preferable to the wrath he was about to face right now.**

**Confirming it was exactly what he dreaded, he heard Velma first before spinning on his heel to face the music.**

"**What can't you be trusted about Shaggy?" Velma asked him coldly, standing arms folded, alongside Freddy.**

**Fred looked much more chilled and good-natured as they approached but Shaggy noticed the beginning of signs of confusion on his features, and a little frown start to appear on his face as he clocked Daphne's obvious absence from the group.**

"**Um guys...where's Daphne?" Fred asked the question calmly enough but as his eyes darted around, Shaggy knew he was already beginning to panic a little.**

**Shaggy bounced nervously on his heels, wishing the ground would swallow him up right now, he tried to look anywhere but at Fred's increasingly worried expression as he looked to Shaggy expectantly.**

"**Um well..." Shaggy began nervously, "the thing is, we were attacked by the Tiki terror and well, we got kind of, uh, separated..."**

**Fred took a step closer to Shaggy, looking fully alarmed now. "Separated?! What does that mean, where is she now Shaggy?!"**

**Shaggy looked down at the ground in shame, swallowing hard, his mouth was becoming so dry.**

"**Well Scooby and I erm, hid, and we thought Daphne had too, but when we came out, the Tiki Man was gone but uh, so was...Daphne. Sorry Fred."**

"**Rorry Reddy," Scooby echoed sadly.**

**Shaggy winced, bracing himself, expecting an instant explosion of rage from the blond man but for the first few seconds on receiving this news, he remained silent, simply taking in what Shaggy had said and he sunk down to the floor.**

"**You left her in danger alone," Fred finally stated quietly. "You left her alone. Why would you do that Shaggy?"**

**Fred was using the 'quietly disappointed voice' so beloved of teachers and parents and it was having the desired impact on Shaggy. He would rather have Fred shouting and screaming at him, hitting out at him even. This quiet brokenness Fred was displaying right now, was destroying him as he already felt guilty enough about Daphne's disappearance, in fact, it was eating him up inside.**

**Fred actually looked to be on the verge of tears now, Velma laid a hand on his shoulder, and he seemed to be quite calm but suddenly he was on his feet and attempted to rush Shaggy, catching both him and Velma completely off-guard.**

"**Why weren't you watching out for her?!" he hurled angrily at his friend, looking fully enraged now. Velma had to step in smartly to hold Fred back as he tried to go for Shaggy. She held him tightly, a squirming mass of unbridled rage as he violently accused Shaggy, pointing his finger towards him. "You got her kidnapped!" He spat, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he said it.**

"**GOT me kidnapped? Please, I can take care of myself just fine," a very welcome voice suddenly cut through the tension.**

"**DAPHNE!" They all chorused, and Fred quickly untangled himself from Velma's grasp and sped towards her as she appeared, slightly dishevelled, from within the bushes.**

**Shaggy virtually collapsed to the floor at the sight of his friend safe and well.**

**Fred hugged her tightly, too tightly and she gasped a little and gently pushed him away.**

"**I'm sorry, I'm just so relieved," he apologised for the crushing squeeze he gave his girlfriend and then turned to his friend, looking suitably embarrassed. "Shaggy man, I'm sorry too, I just lost my head for a minute..."**

"**It's cool," Shaggy replied, taking his turn to hug Daphne. "So how did you escape?" he asked her.**

**Daphne's brow furrowed and she shook her head. "I was never kidnapped Shaggy. I'm sorry that I panicked you in to thinking that I was. After we got separated, like you, I hid, but then I went further into the jungle, I was just heading back to find you and Scoob but then I found something else instead. Come on, I'll show you."**

**The four of them followed Daphne as she made her way back the same way she had just came.**

**Clearly feeling massively overprotective, Fred fell into step beside her, leaving Scoob walking just behind the two of them, and then, awkwardly, Shaggy and Velma.**

**She walked briskly, seeming to steadfastly avoid eye contact with him, so Shaggy didn't even bother trying to look at her as he tentatively asked the question.**

"**So, do you want to talk about it yet?"**

"**Nope," she said abruptly and marched ahead further still.**

**Shaggy rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "girls". It was unheard by Velma but not by Scooby, who paused to snicker but was quickly stilled by Shaggy's stony glare.**

"**Rorry Raggy."**

**They trudged on through the sand, trailing behind Daphne until they had walked into a little cove beach.**

"**Wow," Fred whistled, immediately appreciative of his surroundings, "this place is stunning."**

"**Isn't it?" Daphne beamed at them all and Shaggy had to admit that it was one beautiful beach. **

**Unlike the tourist heavy beaches in the central part of the resort, overly populated with deckchairs, beach towels and commercial stands, this beach seemed untouched by the population at large. It was small but completely secluded with a cave. There was no whooping of surfers riding a big wave, no kids screaming over a volleyball net, it was tranquil, unspoilt, peaceful.**

**The sand seemed softer here, delicately crunching underfoot and the sea was impossibly clearer. Velma and Daphne stood by the edge of the water, marvelling at the sea creatures they could see in the crystal blue waters.**

**Fred nudged Shaggy, turning to him with a grin on his face and simply mouthed the word, '_here'._**

**At first, Shaggy thought Fred was suggesting this beach for the inevitable trap he was about to concoct, but he quickly understood what Fred was implying and he gave him a silent thumbs up.**

**Fred walked behind Daphne, gently placing his hands on her shoulders and kissed her neck.**

"**As stunning as this place is Daph, I'm not sure this is what you wanted to show us."**

**Daphne tore her eyes away from the sea turtles and smiled sheepishly.**

"**Oh right no, let me show you what I found inside the cave."**

**She led them into the little cave and stood with her arms folded. "What do you think guys?"**

"**I'd say you just smashed this mystery," Velma enthused. "Nice one Blake," she said, high fiving her friend.**

"**Well then, all that's left to do is to trap this Tiki terror," Fred asserted. "Given what Daph found in there, it's a safe bet he'll be back soon. That means we just need some bait," he added, already eyeing Shaggy and Scooby.**

**Shaggy sighed loudly and Scooby flopped to the floor, already defeated, but Daphne stepped in front of them.**

"**No, you guys can sit this one out," she declared, much to everybody's surprise. "This mystery has already been pretty much opposites day right? We split up in a different way, maybe we should switch the bait up too."**

"**No Daphne..." Fred shook his head, already fearing her next suggestion.**

"**_I'll_ be the bait," she confirmed, her eyes sparkling.**

"**No!" Fred predictably protested vehemently. "No, I won't let you!"**

"**Well, I won't be doing it alone," she smiled sweetly at him. "It has to be me, he's sure to come after me, knowing what I found in there and also before, when he attacked me and Shaggy. If he's after me then I know_ you're_ going to want to be there to keep me safe so...you and I will both be the bait this time Freddy."**

"**WHAT?!" Fred yelped, looking panicked at the very thought.**

**Velma clapped her hands together in glee. **

"**Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"**

"**But I can't be bait!" Fred continued to protest loudly, "who's going to do the trap?"**

"**We'll all help build the trap," Daphne explained her plan. "And then Shaggy and Velma can operate it."**

"**But they can't!" Fred exclaimed, and then after receiving icy stares from both Velma and Shaggy, he simpered, clarifying himself further. "I mean, of course they_ can, _just er, they can't together, at the, uh, moment."**

"**Oh," Daphne blushed, as if the thought hadn't even come to her. "Oh...well...uh..."**

"**Oh please," Velma scowled, slapping Shaggy on the back. "We can still be professional, can't we Shaggy?" she said in a tone that dared him to disagree.**

"**Sure," Shaggy nodded enthusiastically. "I am nothing but the consummate professional."**

"**So that's settled then," Daphne beamed happily, "let's get ready to trap this Tiki!"**

* * *

**Twenty five minutes later, their trap was set, and Daphne and Fred were 'bait ready' for the first time.**

"**I feel absolutely ridiculous," Fred grumbled. He was dressed in a cliche-tastic Hawaiian tourist outfit; the loudest, gaudiest printed shirt they could get their hands on, outrageous plastic white shades and beach shorts.**

"**You look gorgeous darling," Daphne winked, fixing a flower in her hair. She looked adorable, dressed in a long, tightly fitting purple skirt and a light pink top, tied above the midriff. Velma came forward and hung a chunky camera around Fred's neck, and then Shaggy and Scooby brought out the final flourish.**

"**Oh COME ON!" Fred protested in horror as the flower garlands were placed around his and Daphne's necks.**

"**Just one last thing," Shaggy insisted, clearly completely relishing this moment. He whipped his cell phone out and snapped a quick photo of a fuming Freddy before he could stop him.**

"**You're enjoying this aren't you?" Fred accused.**

"**Frankly, yes," Shaggy nodded. "Scooby and I are enjoying this A LOT."**

"**I guess this is some kind of payback," Velma contemplated. "I mean just think of how many times Shag and Scoob have been bait," she said with a softening smile towards the boys.**

"**Yeah but they don't have to dress like an idiot to do it!"**

"**Rehem," Scooby said crossly and Shaggy folded his arms too.**

"**What about when you made us dress as beefeaters in London?" Shaggy reminded him.**

"**And rirates," Scooby chipped in.**

"**And in a cow costume?" Shaggy continued.**

"**And as restlers!" Scooby added.**

"**And..." Shaggy attempted to count another one off on his fingers but Fred stopped him.**

"**Okay Shaggy, I take your point," Fred conceded, trying not to think about the cloying fabric clinging to his chest. "Are you three all set?"**

"**We're ready Fred," Velma confirmed, "it's all on you two now."**

"**See you later," Daphne waved, grabbing onto Fred's arm, steering him away from the trap. "Come on honey."**

**Daphne and Fred walked in silence for a little while before she turned to him with a half smile. **

"**So Fred, what WOULD you have done to poor Shaggy, if I hadn't turned up at that very moment?"**

**Fred felt embarrassed, the terrifying thing for him was that he didn't know what he would do. For a second, all his senses had been taken over and he could focus on nothing else but his rage for what he believed was Shaggy's unforgivable failure to protect Daphne.**

"**I just lost it," Fred explained. "When I saw you weren't there and knowing that the freak was out there... It scares me how much things happening to you affects me, just the thought of you being taken there..."**

**Daphne rested her hand on his arm as they kept walking together.**

"**I told you Freddy, I can take care of myself. I really wish you wouldn't worry so much. We're both adults now."**

"**You know I can't help it," Fred replied, trying to look nonplussed on the outside but with his heart seizing up inside at the mere thought of anything happening to Daphne. He quickly changed the subject.**

"**So uh hey, what do you think is going on with Velma and Shaggy? I swear I can't keep up."**

**Daphne laughed lightly, "tell me about it, I keep trying to get Velma to talk about it but she's a closed book. I'll try and get to her later, I can't take much more of this."**

"**Agreed," Fred replied. "So how does this work exactly, we just wander around until this creep finds us? That could take a while."**

"**No, I guess if we're bait we have to do something to attract him. You know act more bait-y?"**

"**Bait-y?" Fred said skeptically, "how do we do that?"**

"**You know," Daphne said brightly, "we have to play our roles."**

**Fred was still a little bewildered what she meant by this when she completely startled him by speaking very loudly in an exaggerated accent.**

"**Oh. My. God. Honey! This place is just perfect Buck!"**

**'_Buck?' _Fred mouthed in amusement and Daphne gave him a pleading look that said 'play along!' Fred knew exactly what role Daphne wanted to play. Pleased that there was no other audience other than the Tiki they were hoping to trap, Fred relented and cleared his throat in preparation.**

"**Well right you are there _'Wanda,' _he shouted loudly in a similarly exaggerated accent, causing Daphne to smile in delight. "It sure is pretty. Not as pretty as you though darl'."**

"**Oh Buck! This is where I found it, that little old precious pearl in the oyster! Maybe you could look around and see if you can find another little old pearl for little old me hon! They'd make the darlingest little earrings!"**

"**Now honey, I told you, there ain't no real pearls in oysters, it had to be a fake."**

"**Oh please look for me, Buck! Please, just a little look for me."**

**Daphne was clearly getting into her role and Fred could only hope it would have the desired effect and draw him out.**

**Spotting a slight rustle in the bushes, innocent tourist 'Buck' wandered over.**

"**Well hey Wanda, I'm gonna check over there by those trees, I thought I mighta seen somethin' shining!" he declared loudly.**

**He got within a few feet before sure enough, the bushes dramatically separated and the Tiki Man pounced, leaping out right in front of him.**

"**LEAVE THIS PLACE IMMEDIATELY FOOLISH MORTALS!"**

**He clearly expected the young tourist to immediately flee but 'Buck' stood his ground.**

"**Hey there, you didn't happen to see a pearl in there, did you fella?"**

**Tiki seemed completely astonished that his mere presence did not have this boy scurrying away in terror. He tried again.**

"**DID YOU NOT HEAR ME BOY?! YOU HAVE DISTURBED THE SACRED BURIAL GROUNDS OF THE GREAT MANO TIKI..."**

**Fred refused to be intimidated and interrupted his practised spiel quickly, dropping the act and accent this time.**

"**Sacred burial ground? Now that's not _quite _the story is it?" He challenged the Tiki Man cockily.**

**Tiki recovered quickly from the show of defiance, realising he had been played. He took a step forward and yanked Fred's white sunglasses off his face and at once, his eyebrows knitted together in fury.**

"**You!" He spat in pure contempt, recognising one of the young 'investigators' who had meddled in his affairs earlier.**

"**Yeah, I heard we were getting somewhat famous, you might have heard of me," Fred quipped.**

**The Tiki Man reached forward and grabbed Fred violently by the throat, lifting him off the ground with ease.**

"**I will break every bone in your body for daring to interfere," the Tiki Man promised, gripping Fred tightly.**

**For a fleeting few seconds, all Fred's previous fears came rushing back and he swung quite helplessly in his grip, feeling his vision start to fade.**

**Two years with Mystery Incorporated worldwide had toughened Fred up however, this was not the same Fred Jones who froze in the arms of a villain.**

**Instead he smirked, preparing to attack, as he dangled like meat on a hook. Gaining enough momentum, he swung his leg back, before aiming the hardest kick he could, right at his crotch.**

**The Tiki Man dropped him instantly, eyes watering from the excruciating pain, he doubled over and Fred said to him with satisfaction, "not today freak!"**

**He ran forward and grabbed Daphne's hand and they fled together, leading the Tiki Man on a merry dance through the jungle and back towards the trap they had set, and where Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby were waiting. The Tiki Man was enraged by their ruse, screaming threats as he pursued Fred and Daphne.**

"**You two are dead, you hear me DEAD!"**

**At the trap site, Velma and Shaggy were unsurprisingly waiting in silence. It was one of the more simple traps Fred had created, and it hadn't taken much setting up. This then maximised the time of potential awkward silence as they lay in wait. Fed up of the stillness, Shaggy decided on humour to try and alleviate the tension.**

**Velma was on one side of the net, Scooby and Shaggy, the other side, they could only just see each other's outline, positioned as they were, hidden in the bushes.**

"**So, is the trapping side of things normally this boring?" he started, catching Velma by surprise."Gotta say, I think I might just prefer being bait! What say you Scooby Doo?"**

"**Ruh oh!" Scooby disagreed firmly. "Like Roh way!"**

"**Yeh boy, I guess you're right. Being live bait hasn't been too much fun huh!" ****Velma smiled in spite of herself. "It can get a little boring," she admitted. "It can be a really long wait for you guys sometimes, actually."**

"**So what do you do for fun then?" He called to her.**

"**Well Fred likes to tell lame jokes sometimes...that is, if he isn't, _'you know', _with Daphne."**

**Shaggy's eyes instantly widened in disgust. "_When you're trapping?! _Ew gross!"**

"**Oh they don't go _THAT _far but there's definite..._interactions."_ Velma confirmed, causing Shaggy to squirm at her choice of vocabulary.**

**Scooby too made a face, "I rink I rike being rive bait!" he whined, making Velma and Shaggy laugh.**

"**So did Fred tell you anything more about his plans for later?" she asked, relishing the opportunity for casual conversation and not the awkwardness that had once again descended over them like a black night.**

"**Makani and Akuma are going to hold a beach party for us, so you're going to take her to get ready while I help Fred set everything up."**

"**Will that give us enough time?"**

"**So long as we wrap this pretty soon, we should be fine. I'm sure Fred's very aware of the time."**

"**Hmm, speak of the devil," Velma commented, spotting the top of his blond hair and outrageously loud shirt appearing in the distance. "Get ready guys!"**

**Fred felt he was a fairly fit young man, he played sports, he jogged, but running for your life from some masked nightmare was something he obviously hadn't trained enough for. He was currently desperately trying to stave off the beginnings of a stitch, as he kept to the same relentless pace, almost crying in relief when he finally saw the grounds they'd built the trap in earlier. **

**The trap was an absolute classic in his eyes, good old sturdy net, rigged up between two trees and covered by a bed of leaves. Though he loved nothing more than to dream up elaborate traps, sometimes the old ones were the best. They'd never done it with Shaggy and Scooby operating it but there was a first time for everything. Fred didn't think he'd be repeating being bait any time soon.**

**He risked a little glance at Daphne, and got a smile, reassuring him she was okay. The Tiki had stuck doggedly to their tail and she too was beginning to tire.**

**Catching sight of Velma and Shaggy now, he raced through the trap, waiting for Daphne to clear it too before diving clear into the bushes on Shaggy's side. Daphne ran through and leapt for the bushes on Velma's side and the Tiki as they hoped, stopped in confusion, wondering where they went.**

**Shaggy and Velma watched intently until they were both sure the Tiki was standing fully on the net. As soon as he was in the right place, they would both pull their ropes and he would be hoisted high in the net. **

**Palms sweating, Shaggy prepared to pull his rope, waiting for Scooby to give the signal. On the dog's whistle, both Velma and Shaggy pulled at the same time and the astonished Tiki Man was whipped off his feet and bundled into a net between the trees. **

**Velma had already contacted their hosts Makani and Akuma, and they emerged with the Honolulu Police. She walked over to Shaggy and shyly held out her hand for a high five, which he obliged with. Daphne brushed herself down and they walked to the net, it was unmasking time.**

**They all looked around for Fred, with a fleeting moment of concern until Shaggy spotted him, still bent over, hands on his knees, recovering against the tree. He was wheezing hard and struggling to get his breath back, a sight that had Shaggy struggling to hide his amusement.**

"**Hey Fred, you okay there buddy? You need a moment?"**

**Fred held a hand up in acknowledgement but took a few seconds to speak. "No...no...I'm good. Let's do this."**

**He strode confidently over to where the Tiki Man was bundled high up in the net, desperately trying to rip his way out, unable to see anything through the thick fabric.**

"**Nice try but you're stuck, these are the finest nets that money can buy," Fred shouted up to him happily.**

"**You think you and your silly friends and a net is enough to stop me? You're all going to be shark bait!" he savagely promised.**

"**If you say so sir," Shaggy sighed in a tone so weary, he must have been used to such threats. They stood around underneath the net whilst the Honolulu Police silently got into place. Once they were in position, Fred cut the ropes holding the net aloft and it slid to the ground with a whooshing sound, and then a groan, as the man hit the sand hard. **

**Before the dazed prisoner had chance to react, Fred had grabbed him in a choke-hold, preventing him squirming away. As his arm locked underneath his neck, it nudged the mask upwards revealing a very human chin.**

"**Oh whoops, look what I did," Fred mocked. "Turns out that _shockingly_ you're not really the ghost of Mano Tiki Tia at all..."**

**Keeping one arm securely around him, he used his free hand to fully rip the mask from his face now. "It was just our friendly neighbourhood tour boat operator...Koi."**

**Furious at being unmasked by the same cocky American who had plagued him all day, Koi used his weight advantage to break the stranglehold grip and flip Fred onto his back. His hand once again wrapped around Fred's throat, intent on strangling him.**

"**Fred!" Daphne screamed, and the police quickly broke cover now, guns drawn all around them.**

"**Koi! Let him go NOW," he was quickly instructed by the Chief of Police.**

"**You brought the police?" Koi hissed into Fred's ear, not yet relinquishing his death grip on his throat. "Lucky for you."**

**He released Fred then, pushing his face into the sand as the police sprang forward and handcuffed Koi.**

**Fred got to his feet slowly, holding his neck, there were already visible bruises from the first time Koi had attempted to choke him and now there were further finger markings.**

"**What is this all about?" The Chief of Police asked the assorted members of the gang.**

**While Velma loved a good mystery synopsis, she knew this one would be much easier to show not tell.**

"**Follow us Detective," she smiled, leading the way to the cove. With Koi in tow, the police walked inside, jaws dropping instantaneously at the sight. **

**Golds and silver shimmered and sparkled in the dim light amongst jewels and other treasures.**

**The Police Chief was quick to recognise the significance of the haul straight away and turned to Koi open-mouthed.**

"**You actually found the missing wreckage of the _Princess_ after all these years?"**

"**I did. It was all going to be mine."**

"**Koi hid the treasures in this cove until he could smuggle it all away. This is only a fraction of the true haul I'd imagine," Velma explained.**

"**Yes," Koi answered smugly, "many of it is LONG GONE now."**

"**But why did he dress up as the ghost of our great Mano Tiki Tia?"**

"**Isn't it obvious?" Daphne shrugged. "He did it to keep any curious onlookers and tourists away. He knew the actual burial site was close by, so he exploited the local legend of the curse to scare away anyone that found this place and stumbled upon his operation."**

"**Yes," Koi scowled, " and it was working perfectly, until you interfering interlopers came along and ruined everything!"**

"**Well," Velma reflected a few minutes later, after the police had taken Koi away and they were heading back to the village.**

"**You know we're getting old when the bad guys don't even refer to us as 'meddling kids' anymore."**

"**Good, I always hated that," Shaggy commented.**

**Walking directly behind him, Shaggy noticed the dark bruises that adorned Fred's neck, leaving a reminder of Koi's attacks.**

"**Wow, so he really didn't like_ you, _hey Fred?"**

"**Yes," Daphne replied, "the villain normally only has one attempt on your life..." she said only half jokingly. "This guy tried twice."**

"**Well, he did take an instant dislike to me, remember?" **

**They stared back at Fred with blank faces.**

"**I don't think they're ever particularly fond of _any_ of us, given what we do Fred," Velma replied.**

"**He sure liked you Daph," he said to everyone's continued confusion until Shaggy suddenly snapped his fingers.**

"**Of course! You mean on the boat, not as Mano Tiki Tia."**

"**Ah yes, Koi was very sweet on Daphne, as I recall when we took that boat tour. He was most peeved the next day when he found out she was with you," Velma winked.**

"**Remember guys, we meant what we said, we would love to celebrate with you later as a thank you, a big traditional beach party just for you guys!" enthused Makani.**

"**That's so kind of you, thank you Makani, I'm feeling pretty beat right now," Daphne admitted. "I think I might just go take a nap for a couple of hours."**

**She kissed Fred before turning back to him with a wink. "Oh and babe? Thanks for the role play earlier!" she shouted before walking into her room. **

**Fred looked embarrassed and everyone else stared at him uncomfortably, and he realised they thought she had shared something entirely more awkward with the whole group.**

"**Hey, whatever floats your boat man, but maybe you should keep some things private next time?" Shaggy said teasingly, but feeling the need to avoid eye contact with his friend.**

**"What, No!" Fred immediately flushed red, desperate to set the record straight. "She didn't mean _that_ kind of role play guys! She was talking about when we were bait!"**

"**Oh of course!" Velma sighed with relief, they were a close group of friends but this was a level of over sharing she never wanted to be comfortable with. "Wait, you played actual roles? Like characters?" She couldn't help but smirk and Fred scratched the bruises on his neck nervously, anticipating the ridicule.**

"**Um, she wanted to be Dr. Brennan and Seeley Booth's undercover identities," he muttered sheepishly.**

"**From _Bones?_" Velma burst out laughing, but Shaggy, Scooby and Makani were none the wiser. "And you went along with it, accent and all? God I'm sorry I missed that."**

"**It's her favourite show," Fred replied defensively.**

"**You two are so adorable, it's quite sickening really. Speaking of which, you did say it was going to happen, as soon as we wrapped up the mystery and before we left Hawaii, are you still going through with it?"**

**They all looked to Fred in anticipation now and his face broke out into a grin. "I sure am Velma, and I'm hoping I can count on all of your help to get it all ready."**

"**So you were serious with what you told me about the cove earlier? You're going to do this tonight?" Shaggy smiled, feeling so happy for his friend. **

"**Yes, Shaggy. I'm going to propose to Daphne at the cove tonight."**


	2. Matters of the Heart

A.N. - So that first chapter was a little bit cheery for me right? It's not that I was lulling you into a false sense of security or anything, but well without further ado, I present to you Chapter Two.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Velma had decided to join Daphne in taking a nap before the party, and Shaggy and Scooby had gone for a walk along the beach. Fred retired alone back to the room he and Shaggy were sharing, suddenly feeling quite tired himself after his and Daphne's exploits in trapping the Tiki Man.

He hurled the garland to the floor, discarded the hideous shirt and shucked his sandals off, gratefully flopping down onto the soft bed. He was intending to have nothing more than a short little power nap before getting ready. He was just about to close his eyes when he noticed out of the corner of his eye, that there was a light flashing on his laptop, indicating an incoming Skype call. He sighed, pulling himself upwards and hit answer, sitting on the edge of his bed.

After waiting a couple of seconds for the technology to connect, Daphne's half brother Ethan then appeared on Fred's screen, looking tanned, relaxed and happy, direct from Hong Kong where he now lived.

"Hey Ethan," Fred greeted him warmly.

"Fred! Got that Tiki weirdo taken care of yet?"

"Of course, it was the glass bottom boat guy, he had somehow managed to find this ancient sunken wreck with a ton of treasure still stashed on board."

"My god, how cliché! So, now that's out the way with, that means tonight is finally the night isn't it?" Ethan grinned in anticipation. "It's about freaking time Jones!"

"You know me Ethan," Fred replied, unable to hide his own excitement now despite his tiredness. "It's all in the planning for me, and everything HAS to be perfect. I finally found the absolute perfect spot today and I think now, I'm ready. Of course, I had to go through all the proper er, _preparations _first."

"I still can't believe you even thought you had to ask for my permission!" Ethan exclaimed loudly. "Let me just have a moment to think whether I approve of my sister marrying the man who, SINGLE HANDEDLY, let's not forget, saved my life before his own when my deranged uncle kidnapped us both..." He paused dramatically as if he was actually considering this, before shaking his head. "Like '_duh_' Freddy!" Ethan teased him good naturedly.

Fred's cheeks tinted with crimson and he hoped Ethan didn't notice. He never liked to be thought of as a 'hero' about that night, he never liked to think about his memories of that particular ordeal at all any more. He knew Ethan would never let him forget his bravery however.

"Well, it is tradition," Fred murmured, feeling saddened for Daphne that there was no way he could have truly followed tradition and asked her father's permission.

"In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret," Ethan smiled mysteriously. "I told Daphne she should marry you, right on that very night at the hospital after you were all rescued."

Fred was swiftly dumbfounded. "Really? You don't think that would have been, well, a little too soon?"

"You two are golden, trust me. I knew it from the very night we met, from how you were looking at her. You and her, it's definitely meant to be."

Fred felt a pleasant warm glow burn his cheeks from Ethan's words. 'Soul mates' is exactly how he saw himself and Daphne, but it was nice that others saw it that way too.

"Well, I just hope she says yes," he replied a little shyly, a response which had Ethan rolling his eyes back dramatically.

"Jeez Fred, it's not even in question! She _loves_ you. She's probably actually loved you longer than even she realises. OF COURSE she is going to say yes! Now...come on, you promised, show me the ring already dammit!"

Ethan bounced in his seat impatiently as Fred then stood up and glanced every which way around him, fearing Daphne could walk in at any moment even though he knew he was alone. Finally, he felt safe enough, and went to retrieve the box from where it was nestled deep inside his suitcase under a false flap.

He carried the tiny box back over to his laptop, handling it as gingerly and carefully as if he feared one slight stumble could actually destroy the precious jewel inside, despite the fact it was more than adequately protected on a little cushion of velvet.

He gently snapped back the lid, holding the contents directly in front of the camera for Ethan to see.

Whilst both Velma and Shaggy had, earlier on the trip, professed SOME enthusiasm and admiration for Fred's choice of ring, Ethan left him in no doubt of his own approval.

First, there was a little gathered intake of breath in anticipation before his eyes actually widened and his hands clapped together in obvious delight. There was an actual little _squeal_ before he heard his words.

"Oh Freddy it's GORGEOUS!" he screamed at a volume that had Fred surreptitiously reaching for the volume control.

"You like?" Fred asked, but already knowing his response.

"I LOVE," Ethan gushed. "I know she will love it too. You did good Jones."

"Thanks Ethan. It means a lot to have your approval."

Ethan grinned back, looking like he wanted to say something further but then his eyes travelled away from the screen. Fred guessed he was looking at something on his cell phone, he looked temporarily annoyed, before he smiled into the camera again.

"Listen Fred, I gotta go now but I want to hear DE-TAILS later, you hear me? You need to tell me absolutely _everything_, okay? Good Luck!" Ethan sounded more like a gossipy teenage girl in that moment, rather than a man with a respected job approaching thirty.

"Sure thing Ethan, see you..." but Fred hadn't even completed his sentence before Ethan's face disappeared, having so abruptly disconnected the Skype call.

Fred stared at the black screen for a few more seconds, briefly worrying about what message Ethan could have received that would cause him to end the conversation in such a hurry, but soon reflected that as Ethan was so dedicated to his job, he figured it was likely to be that.

He shrugged to himself, closed the laptop, and set about getting ready, showering quickly and then changing into his favourite shirt. He applied aftershave and was stood in front of the mirror nervously styling his hair, when he almost jumped out of his skin at a loud rapping on the door. His eyes immediately darted to the ring, which he had yet to conceal again, lying open, sparkling in it's box on the bed.

He launched himself across the bed to grab it, hollering "just a minute!" the panic in his voice notable for anyone to hear.

"Relax man, it's just me!" Shaggy's voice came through loud and clear from the other side.

Fred exhaled in relief and went to let him in. Shaggy was dressed ready for the party in a casual red shirt and he nodded approvingly at Fred's outfit as he entered. "Hmm nice! Somebody scrubs up well!"

"You don't think it's too casual?" Fred asked, looking truly a little flustered.

"We're in Hawaii Fred, I don't think a dinner jacket and trousers are the required attire here," Shaggy dead-panned.

Fred was dressed in a crisp, navy blue buttoned shirt and dark, black chino shorts, he placed the ring box carefully into his side pocket and felt the conspicuous lump straight away on his hip.

"Oh god!" he fretted, "it's too obvious isn't it?!"

"It's fine Fred, you can't see it, trust me," Shaggy reassured him.

"Okay," Fred seemed satisfied before moving on to something else to stress about. "And you're sure you know the plan?"

Shaggy recited it perfectly. "We're going to the beach party. After a while, Velma will suddenly declare a need for a 'heart to heart chat' with Daphne and take her off for a long walk. As soon as she does, you and I will help set everything up at the cove. Velma will give me a text to say she's on her way. I go back, we send Scooby to you as a signal that's she coming to you. Sorted."

"Good," Fred nodded, giving him a weak smile and Shaggy reached forward and grasped his slightly shorter friend's shoulders.

"Freddy, relax!" He commanded, looking into his crystal blue eyes. "I've seen you go up against multiple crazies, hell-bent on killing us, and you haven't looked anywhere near as jittery as you do right now! Daphne loves you," Shaggy echoed Ethan's words gently. "What you have planned is special, She will love it. Stop being so freaking skittish man!"

Fred didn't look to be any calmer despite Shaggy's wise words so he continued to try and help him, remembering some relaxation techniques the girls had shown him once to try calm him before a particularly fraught conclusion to a mystery. "Just breathe Fred...slowly...in and out buddy...just breathe deeply."

Shaggy kept his hands on Fred's shoulders whilst instructing him and after doing it for a few minutes, Shaggy was taken aback when Fred suddenly pulled him in for a warm hug instead.

"Thank you Shaggy, thanks for always being there. I was lousy with what I said earlier, I know that you would never deliberately leave Daphne in danger, it was such a jerk thing to say."

"It's no sweat Freddy, I understand. Say, how did you enjoy being bait?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Fred pulled away from him and made a face. "Oh my god Shaggy! While I'm always open to switching the teams up, we are NOT doing that again. I pulled a stitch almost straight away! How the hell do you and Scooby run so fast?!"

"Years of practice," Shaggy grinned. "You know, doing the trap isn't as easy as I first thought either. I was sweating so much over the timings, I almost messed it up completely."

"Yeah. Let's put our skills to where they are most suited in the future, hey?"

"Deal."

The two friends smiled at each other and shook hands as their host Makani put his head around the door somewhat impatiently.

"Are you boys ready to party yet? The young ladies are already there!"

Fred gave him a cheesy thumbs up before turning to Shaggy for one final desperate seal of approval.

"How does my hair look? Honestly? Too much gel? Not enough?" He had that panicked look on his face again and Shaggy laughed, grabbing his arm to pull him outside.

"Honestly Fred, I bet Daphne got ready quicker than you tonight and we both know that's saying something. Let's go."

Fred nodded and followed him, _"but it does look okay right?_"

Shaggy ignored him.

…...

A short time after, after a lot of eating of delicious food and some dancing at the beach party Makani had assembled to thank them, the gang were winding down by regaling Makani, Akamu and their friends with tales from some of their previous adventures.

Their hosts listened with mostly rapt attention, astonished at some of the stories they were telling. They were all sat on logs around a roaring fire now, each member taking it in turns to recall a memory.

Velma was sounding particularly enthused as she spoke warmly of some of the outrageous things they had encountered so far.

"I think my favourite 'villain' has to be the guy who dressed as a skeleton space alien in an astronaut suit, dripping with phosphorous paint. I mean, his costume was pure _art _as far as I'm concerned_. _The effort he put in was nothing short of phenomenal. How did that laugh go again Shaggy?!"

Shaggy did a perfect impersonation of the freak's nightmare inducing laugh, causing Scooby's ears to prick up and wobble in alarm.

"If we're giving out an 'A' for effort, mine would have to go to the 'vampire' twins who wrecked a music video shoot," Daphne reflected. "I mean, not only had the guy convinced himself that dressing up as a vampire was a perfectly plausible way to stake a claim for this castle, he also convinced his twin brother to do exactly the same," she exclaimed. "What about you Freddy?"

Fred looked thoughtful, taking a long moment to think about some of the mysteries they had unravelled both abroad in the last two years and also the first year spent doing likewise in Coolsville. Did he go with a particularly perilous one to make them seem even more daring and heroic? Or, go for something so truly outlandish that if they weren't participants in it, would never have believed it themselves?

In the end he settled for, what was for him, one of their more memorable cases.

"My favourite investigation," he began with a grin, "are the ice cream ghosts."

"_Ice cream ghosts?" _Akamu said incredulously with a shake of his head. Spacemen? Vampires? It was only getting weirder it seemed.

"Sure," Shaggy nodded,counting them off on his fingers, "a vanilla one, a chocolate one and a strawberry one."

"Uh huh," Akamu nodded skeptically.

Fred continued the story. "The costumes weren't all that, just your standard issue phantom _Scream_ esque mask, nothing too scary."

Rhmph! Reak Ror Rorself Reddy!" Scooby interrupted crossly.

Fred chuckled at Scooby's reaction. "Okay, sure I guess they were quite creepy. Anyway, we'd been hired by the owners of the ice cream factory to investigate this 'haunting'. I mean, no points for any scare story ingenuity here, no 'legend of the ice cream ghosts' but anyway, these spooks were clearly after something."

Despite the inconceivable ghostly elements of the story, their Hawaiian hosts were very much intrigued.

"Go on Fred, what was it?" Makani asked.

"Well," Fred said, getting straight to the punchline. "Turns out, the 'ghosts' were a bunch of bank robbers. Not unusual for us but this is pretty ingenuous actually. These robbers had actually jacked a couple of the security vans and hidden them in the ice cream factory. Goodness knows where they got the idea from, but then they dressed up as these ghosts whilst they repainted the security vans to look like the company ice cream trucks to then smuggle out innocently. They probably would have got away with it too..."

"If it wasn't for us meddling kids," Shaggy finished wryly as they all laughed. "Guess it's my turn hey?" he said as they all looked to him. Whilst Velma, Daphne and Fred seemed to be looking back on their adventures with a rosy retrospection, Shaggy's immediate thoughts when he thought about their adventures were not positive ones, he didn't remember the triumphant captures first. No, his immediate abiding memories were of the terror they faced.

Of dangling off a cliff face together, each member clinging onto the other with just their fingertips.

Of the time Daphne _was_ actually kidnapped, by some terrifying gondolier thief in Venice, and how Fred had gone out of his mind as they ripped up Venice trying to find her.

Of the Chinese hoodlums who thought nothing of blowing himself and Scooby up.

Of the many times the combined intellect of Fred and Velma had nearly got them killed as they stopped some dastardly scheme.

It was difficult not to think of the moments like that. What they did as a group investigating these strange... situations. It was downright dangerous at times. But, Shaggy knew this wasn't a time to reflect on that so he forced himself to think of something that made him smile about their adventures.

"I guess the Werewolf smuggling operation was pretty cool," he revealed, thinking about one of their earliest cases while they were still in Coolsville. "Dude dressed as a werewolf, fake fur, dyed it green, ripped clothes. Very scary. He and his pals were smuggling sheep in little barrels down the river. Even had little tubes so they could breathe."

"Astonishing." Akamu commented. "Where do these people get their kooky ideas from?"

"More to the point," Makani interrupted, "I do not understand how do _you_ keep finding all these strange people and why they do this?"

"Well, it's kind of become our 'thing' to solve these mysteries," Fred explained to him. "We make it our business to search out these strange goings on and investigate them, kind of like how we showed up in Hawaii. People in Coolsville also started to hire us when they heard what we do. As for what they want?" he shrugged, looking around at the others before continuing. "Like you've heard some of the reasons from us already, but it's all sorts of things. Scaring people away after finding something valuable is a big one...oh and real estate! The best way to convince someone to sell you land is _clearly_ to haunt the area with whatever freak comes to mind, bonus points if there's a local legend to exploit."

"But isn't it dangerous?" Akamu asked the obvious question.

The gang again exchanged glances, perhaps all silently reflecting on the dangerous moments they had faced, especially the terrifying escapade that had started it all three years ago. They had all stared death in the face that night, especially the captive Fred. It was their first adventure together and still the scariest, and it was undoubtedly the first thing that came to mind when anyone spoke of danger.

Finally Fred spoke again, his expression serious now. "Sure it is. The people who we stop, well they're criminal and often desperate. As a result of our, ah, interfering, between us all we've been beaten..."

"_Kidnapped..." _chimed Daphne with a shudder.

"_Nearly drowned..." _gasped Shaggy.

"_Broken plenty of bones..." _added Velma.

"_'Rown Rup!" _exclaimed Scooby.

Makani and Akamu looked at them all like they were all stark raving crazy before Makani cleared his throat. "So, pardon me for being so frank friends, but...why the _fuck_ are you still doing this?"

There was an immediate uncomfortable silence.

Fred had to admit it was a question he often asked himself after a particularly dangerous one. Why, especially after what happened in Coolsville, _did_ they constantly put their lives on the line, time and time again? Did he secretly like the adrenaline rush that dicing so closely with death, frequently gave him?

Luckily, Velma had a more considered and reflective answer to hand. "For me, it's the togetherness, the sense of belonging," she started, almost wistfully. "Knowing that no matter how much crap we fall into, we're always there to bail each other out. The sense of accomplishment and pride of thwarting sometimes, quite wicked, life-threatening schemes is something hard to give up too."

The others nodded warmly in agreement and Makani smiled politely at them like he understood now, but in his mind he was wondering why they couldn't take up less dangerous group activities together.

Like extreme rock climbing for example.

The conversation naturally died out then and Fred stretched back, looking up to the stars and sighed contentedly, "wow this sure is a beautiful place."

Velma jolted sharply from her daydream reminiscing about the gang's adventures, recognising Fred's code phrase to get the plan in motion. She turned to Daphne who was sitting besides her on the log and asked her quietly. "Daphne, could we take a walk? I wanted to talk to you about something."

Daphne jumped up immediately, thrilled that Velma was finally going to open up to her.

"Sure Velma! Maybe we could head to that little peaceful cove I found."

Fred looked immediately panicked by her words but fortunately was sitting behind where Daphne now stood so she couldn't see his reaction.

"Uh...no!" Velma stumbled over her words nervously. "I mean, if it's okay with you, couldn't we just take a walk through the jungle? I find the trees really, ah, therapeutic."

It was the first time Daphne had heard her friend ever express a keenness for foliage, but she went with it gamely.

"Whatever you want Velma. You guys will be okay without us?" She asked, turning to look at Freddy, Shaggy, Scooby and their hosts who were looking totally chilled out, spilled across the logs.

"Of course, see you later," Fred gave a lazy wave, giving the impression he wasn't ready to move for a while.

He watched Velma deftly lead Daphne in the opposite direction to the cove and waited until he could see no hint of their shadows.

As soon as he was confident they were gone, he jumped up with nervous purpose, swinging his legs around off the log. "Okay guys, let's go!" he signalled and all the boys quickly retreated from the campfire to head to the cove.

* * *

Velma waited until they were a long way from the party before she spoke. It_ was _something of a ruse to keep Daphne away first and foremost, but she _did_ want to use the opportunity to have a heart to heart with Daphne. She tried to mentally rehearse in her head what she wanted to say to her best friend and failed miserably; she was absolutely hopeless at any of this kind of 'opening your emotions up' crap.

"So..." Velma started tentatively and Daphne waited patiently for more as they strolled leisurely. "I'm sure you noticed an, um tension, between Shaggy and I today..."

"Mmm hmm," Daphne nodded, trying to sound indifferent.

"And I'm sure you and Fred are wondering what the hell that's all about and well..." Velma decided to throw caution to the wind and just came straight out with it, loudly blurting, "we slept together again last night!"

Daphne stopped walking and gasped at Velma. "Oh!" She had not been expecting that. "But Velms," Daphne probed gently. "Isn't that a good thing? Did you want to sleep with him?"

"No, I mean yes, I did, I _do_..."

"So, what's the problem?" Her red headed friend asked, with genuine confusion on her face.

"The problem is how I handle it Daph! I just panic! Instead of just enjoying waking up with him, I was too busy shoving him out the door so he was back in his own room before Fred woke up. Which I know is ridiculous because you guys don't even care, I know we have nothing to hide."

"Velma, how do you feel about Shaggy?" Daphne asked quite bluntly, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

Velma visibly squirmed at Daphne's question, it was such a simple one but she didn't know if she could answer it honestly. She wasn't sure if she knew in her own heart, what her true feelings were because she pressed the 'emergency release button' every time there was a chance of them becoming something closer.

"I do really care for him," she eventually admitted. "I care a _lot_ about him, we've always had a connection, a spark..."

"_Buuuuut..." _Daphne supplied, an eyebrow raised, sensing a monumental rebuttal coming here.

"But, I'm terrified of commitment. As soon as there's a sniff of developing into an actual relationship, I push him away so hard and so hatefully, it takes days to recover even our friendship again. I turn into the monsters that we hunt. I'm terrified of being hurt myself but I hurt _him_ so much. We tried a relationship once remember? And it didn't work."

"And was that because you decided you weren't right for each other?" Daphne probed.

"No."

"Because he hurt you?"

"No! Absolutely not."

"Because there were three in your relationship?" Daphne asked, waggling her eyebrows with a slight smile, getting one in return from Velma momentarily.

"Aha no, I mean yes, there was, we all know that, but no, it certainly wasn't because of Scooby Doo either."

"Then what Velma?" Daphne asked gently. "Why did your relationship with Shaggy end so abruptly?"

Velma took a deep breath before replying, she bit her lip hard to prevent tears, she knew it was so stupid.

"Because he told me that he loved me. Shaggy told me that he loved me and so the next day, I broke up with him."

Daphne put her arm around her friend sympathetically. "Oh Velma..."

"I know right, as if that isn't the most fucked up reaction to hearing those three little words. God, I'm so damaged."

_Damaged. _

_There it was _thought Daphne.

That single word was so revealing, it hinted a little at the backstory Velma had vehemently kept to herself, secrets she had locked away. Even after all this time and with how deep their friendship as a group had flourished, Velma had revealed nothing of 'her story', her family, her background, nothing at all.

And that was fine.

While they all secretly wondered, nobody had probed further, it was private. Velma Dinkley was the biggest unsolved mystery of all, was she finally about to at least peel a layer back?

"Velma, I'm sure that's not true, and besides look at who you're talking to! Being damaged runs in my family, remember?" Daphne replied with a grimace.

"There was somebody else," Velma revealed bluntly. "Before Shaggy and Fred and the petty thieving. He hurt me, he hurt someone _very_ dear to me actually and it's made me SO wary. I know that Shaggy is nothing like Patrick, he would never do anything as terrible as what he did to me, but it doesn't stop me panicking when things get serious. I end it because I can't let someone get that deep in my heart again but the problem is, he already is. I think I DO love him Daphne! But I can't _let_ myself love him..."

Daphne hugged her tightly. "Velma, you can't keep letting bad memories of your past, shape your future. You don't have to tell me what happened with this Patrick...but I want to help you, you're my best friend and I hate to see you unhappy like this."

Velma knew Daphne was absolutely sincere and knew if she was going to tell anyone about her past, it would be her, but she had hidden it for so long, where could she even begin? She took a deep breath and sat down on the sandy ground, Daphne instantly sitting beside her and grabbed her hand supportively.

Before Velma could even begin, the leaves rustled loudly and both girls went on immediate alert, although they had neutralised the threat of the Tiki Man, that didn't mean they were now going to let their guard down. They both jumped to their feet, Daphne fumbled in her purse for some mace, Velma grabbed a hefty looking fallen branch and held it aloft, bracing herself.

A figure eventually emerged from the darkness and as the girls stood poised to attack, they realised at once it was friend not foe and dropped their weapons in relief.

"Makani! You scared us!" Velma told their host, recovering quickly from the intrusion, remembering this chat was only a pretense. Makani retrieving them wasn't part of Fred's original plan, she was quite confident about that. Had they really been that long that he had to send Makani to get them back?

Makani apologised profusely for scaring them but remained very serious looking which put the girls on edge.

"Miss Daphne, Miss Velma," he exclaimed, speaking quickly. "I must ask, what is the name of your village again?"

Makani had insisted on referring to everywhere as a 'village' because that's all he knew and they didn't correct him question however did nothing to quell the girls' building fear, it was obvious from Makani's expression that something was very, very wrong.

"Makani, what is it? Is everything okay?" Daphne asked anxiously.

"Your village," he pressed agitatedly, "the name, what was the name!"

Daphne and Velma looked at each other in fear, before Velma supplied the answer.

"Coolsville," she answered quietly. Makani looked grim at once.

"I thought so. Come, come, there is something you need to see." He waved them through the trees, indicating they should follow him. Without hesitation, the girls quickly followed Makani back to camp in an eerie silence. Only as they neared the village again, did he offer some kind of further explanation whilst still remaining vague on the details.

"Akamu, he was watching the TV news tonight, he recognised the name. You need to see this for yourselves."

Feeling incredibly uneasy, the girls raced into the bar with a handful of heavy TV screens dotted around it. Shaggy and Scooby were already sitting there, watching wordlessly. The TV report was playing out silently on every screen.

Daphne watched the pictures in disbelief, refusing to take in the breaking news banner that scrolled the horrendous details over and over in capital letters again and again. Even the normally professional news reporter looked truly shaken as she detailed the events.

Daphne looked around at her friend's reactions, Shaggy had his hand over his mouth, even Scooby looked troubled and worried, sensing Shaggy's fear. Velma had said nothing but tears stained her face and Shaggy slowly got up and put his arm around her when he saw her, and she buried herself in his embrace.

With a jolt, Daphne realised Freddy was nowhere to be seen. With a dry mouth she asked where he was and Shaggy looked even sadder.

"Oh man, Fred. He's uh, he uh took a walk," he said lamely, exchanging glances with Makani and Akamu. "He doesn't know. Look Scooby Doo," he instructed his dog, his own eyes now reddening from tears he never even realised had fallen.

"Scooby, you gotta go bring Fred back," he commanded sadly and the dog raced away obediently.

* * *

It had been almost half an hour since Shaggy, Scooby, Makani and Akamu had left Fred alone at the beach, after helping him to decorate the cove and with each minute gone, Fred's anxieties were building again.

They had hung lots of delicate little tea lights that lit up the cove just enough and had helped set up a beautiful, romantic picnic, just by the water's edge that she had so admired earlier today.

He sat there now, his toes sprinkled with water by the gentle, lapping waves, looking out at the still, starry skies.

It_ was_ a beautiful setting. But what if it was all too much? What if Daphne disagreed with the idea of marriage altogether? They were still young, what if she believed it was too soon? He didn't think his heart could go through the crushing disappointment of her saying no. He was just beginning to remove the stones he had spent ages painstakingly re-arranging into a message, having now decided it was _definitely _a tacky way to propose, when a blur of movement caught his eye. Scooby.

Screw it. It was too late now. _Get a grip of yourself Jones!_ he silently admonished himself, sliding the stone back into place with his bare foot and hurrying to greet the dog, running a comb nervously through his hair once again as he did so.

Knowing Daphne was only seconds away now, it should have sent his over reactive heart into somersaults, but strangely, a serenity now settled over him; he was going to ask the love of his life to marry him. He had never wanted anything more in his young life so far. He felt his face naturally break out into a smile now, and all of his previous anxieties just seemed to melt away like the gently lapping waves of the ocean.

"Scooby! My old buddy!" he greeted him jovially, arms outstretched, anticipating the hound's leap into his arms, such is his customary greeting now.

But there was no leap of joy from the Great Dane.

Instead Scooby trotted towards him sorrowfully, and he felt his happiness dissipate rapidly. His thoughts at once landed on Daphne and he knew fear was already consuming him. He had never been so grateful for a dog that could 'talk' in all his life.

Desperately trying to remain calm, he bent down and laid a hand on the dog's collar who had sat down solemnly in front of him now.

"Scooby, what is it boy, is it Daph, the others?"

Scooby shook his head and Fred felt a fleeting moment of relief but the dog remained stoic.

"Then what is it Scoob?"

Scooby looked at his dear friend in front of him, the alarm now rapidly spreading across his handsome features. A few minutes ago, he knew the boy had excitedly been preparing for the most important moment of his life, a moment that was undoubtedly going to be the happiest of his life. Instead, Scooby knew he was now here to shatter his world.

He watched Freddy's face fall in despair as he took in the crushing news he delivered painfully.

"It's Roolsville Red, it's runder rattack."

* * *

A.N. And there it is...a lovely moment of happiness cruelly stolen away by the evil author, I'm so sorry, I did say ultimately this is a dark tale, but don't worry there will still be moments of light in the darkness to come. Some anyway. Please review.


	3. Crisis in Coolsville

"_It's Roolsville Red, it's runder rattack."_

Those words uttered by Scooby came out more than slightly a little mangled but even so, the message came through loud and clear to Fred and it cut straight right through to his heart.

All thoughts and anxieties about his proposal plans were instantly abandoned, just like the rocks, so painstakingly arranged just moments ago, that were now washing away in the surf. None of that no longer mattered to Fred, he didn't even wait for Scooby, he was on his feet and sprinting back towards the village before he could even think clearly.

He kept on running barefoot until he reached the bar, finally stopping dead in the middle as he saw exactly what was on the TV screens.

The first thing he registered was the blackened shell of a building, flames still smouldering as firefighters desperately tried to dampen down. It was impossible to recognise what the building even was, and if it wasn't for the scrolling banner he might not have given the story a second glance, but his eyes became hypnotically drawn to the scrolling news ticker, screaming silently from the TV screen.

"COOLSVILLE POLICE ATTACK: THE BOMB WAS DETONATED AT 10.15 PM THIS EVENING.

COOLSVILLE POLICE ATTACK: IT IS NOT YET KNOWN HOW MANY OFFICERS WERE INSIDE AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION.

COOLSVILLE POLICE ATTACK: THERE ARE CONFIRMED FATALITIES BUT WE AWAIT FURTHER DETAILS."

He read it several times, still staring at the screen slack jawed, unable to take in anything else that was happening around him for so long. So much so that he didn't even notice Daphne or the rest of the gang, not until Daphne had rushed into his arms, her eyes showing the same kind of fear and grief that he was already starting to experience within. He hugged her tightly, but with his eyes still glued to the screen behind her.

"Oh god Freddy, I can't believe it! Isn't this awful! Who would do such a thing?!" she gasped.

Velma urged the barman to turn up the volume and the actual news report now boomed desolately around the mostly empty bar.

"_Details at this time are still very, very sketchy, but once again, we can tell you what we know so far. Around 10 pm, the police here including several armed units, arrived at this building in down town Coolsville. At 10.15 pm the building exploded. It is not known how many police officers were inside at the time. _

_There are unconfirmed, and we stress this, unconfirmed reports, that gunfire and grenades were heard before the explosion. At this stage it is looking like a deliberate attack._

_As you can see, the area around the building and indeed, the whole district, has been completely cordoned off. Just behind me, you can see a stream of red and blue lights of waiting ambulances which have been used to ferry injured survivors to hospital. We have been told there are confirmed fatalities but we don't yet know the number of these._

_This is obviously a shocking and brutal attack and we await comment from official sources. The FBI are now on the scene."_

Velma was clinging on to Shaggy for dear life, her expression pale and strained as she turned to Fred. "This all happened three hours ago, there's been no further updates from the scene. I've...I've been calling Stella and Will...but they are, ah, not answering," she stated, her voice trembling with fear.

"I just, I mean, what the hell? We know some bad stuff has happened there in the past but this? Who would deliberately go out and _murder_ police officers?" Shaggy asked, looking stunned.

"Well, I think we all know one person capable of such brutality," Fred said venomously, causing everyone to gasp.

Daphne's eyes also widened in fear, she couldn't deny that it had crossed her mind in the few minutes since they had learnt of the attack but that didn't mean she had to believe it.

Velma responded first with some skepticism. "Of course he's capable, but surely not? He hasn't been on the scene for nearly four years that we know of. Why would he suddenly return to little old Coolsville after all this time? It doesn't make any sense to me."

"It sure doesn't. Didn't Stella tell you it's been quiet there too, the last time you spoke?" Daphne asked.

Velma looked a little nervous for a second and that slight hesitation in answering Daphne's question wasn't missed by Shaggy.

"That_ is_ what Stella said, isn't it Velma? I remember you _very_ distinctly telling us that she told you everything was okay and there was nothing to worry about." Shaggy's eyes narrowed a little at Velma as he started to get a bad feeling.

Velma sat down heavily onto a bar stool, and took a long swig of Shaggy's previously untouched beer, feeling her head spin automatically.

Shaggy stared at her expectantly, and Fred and Daphne stood close by her too.

"That might not have been _exactly_ what she said," Velma eventually admitted morosely.

"Vel-ma...what do you mean?!" Daphne asked sharply, her fears already rising. "Why wouldn't you tell us what she really said?"

"We were all happy, I didn't want anyone to worry about things back home..."

"Velma, I can't believe you would do such a thing! You lied to us?" It was Daphne's turn to use that 'quietly disappointed' voice now.

"I didn't lie to you guys!" Velma said defensively. "I just didn't tell you...everything," she added weakly. "But I will say right now, she didn't mention _anything_ about guns and gangs or anything as severe as that. She just told me about some minor crimes, which admittedly were _our_ kind of crimes. Quite a few of them recently in fact."

"Velma! You had no right to keep this from us," Fred too was appalled and angry. "We've kept in touch with Stella and Will for the very reason to make sure that everything was okay back home!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't think it was a big deal, we were going to go home soon anyway. If I knew that anything near as bad as _this_ was happening, I would have told you guys in a heartbeat, of course I would!" Velma was overcome with emotion, distraught at the realisation Stella hadn't been honest with her.

"Look," Shaggy was rarely the rational one of the group, but knew someone had to try and keep the peace as emotions threatened to take over them all. "Yelling at Velma isn't going to solve anything. Yes, she kept things from us but the bigger issue is surely what Stella withheld from _her_. That," he gestured sadly at the screen, "is not even close to being 'low level crime'."

"You're absolutely right Shaggy," Daphne said, wiping away a tear, "the question now is what she kept from us and _why?_"

"And at what cost," Fred murmured darkly, earning a sad, pleading look from Daphne.

"_Fred,_ we can't even think about that, I don't want to think about that, not until we have more details, we have to have hope, it's about all we have right now," Daphne stated sadly.

Makani and Akamu had given the group some time to come to terms with the scenes but emerged again into the bar awkwardly now.

Makani, a towering, native Hawaiian stood with his head bowed solemnly, Akamu, a much smaller man, standing likewise, by his side.

"I am so sorry young friends," Makani said to the whole gang. "Seeing your home in flames like that, it is so devastating. It brought me such sorrow to report to you the news after such a joyful time, and undoubtedly, I believe there was more joy to come," he said, making deliberate eye contact with Fred.

Fred felt a pang of regret tighten in his chest as he remembered how tonight was supposed to end; the nervous excitement he had put his proposal plans together with, all that was lost now. They were all shocked by what they had witnessed on screen but Velma and Daphne were taking it the hardest. He knew as their leader, he was going to have help them to hold things together while they considered their next steps.

"Thank you Makani, Akamu," he began graciously. "We thank you so much for your kind hospitality this evening and throughout our stay. You have been such wonderful and gracious hosts. But, I hope you will understand, we cannot return to your party tonight, _all_ of our plans will have to dramatically alter now. Coolsville is our home."

"Of course Fred, we fully understand," Makani replied, eyeing the blond boy sadly, knowing exactly what he was referring to when he said 'all' plans.

The Hawaiians embraced each member of Mystery Inc. as they left the bar together a short while later, saddened their young friends' stay in Hawaii had come to such a devastating conclusion, when it should have been a joyous and celebratory night.

When it came to Fred's turn, Makani pulled him tightly, whispering in his ear, "I am so sorry friend, take care of her, your time will come again when the storm clouds clear away."

Fred smiled at Makani, touched by his wise words, he was a good and genuine man. "Thank you."

He knew it could be a long time in the future before he could even consider his plans again. The ring jostled awkwardly in his pocket as they returned to their huts still in a state of shock. The ring was a permanent reminder of the way the night had swung so badly away from what he had been dreaming about for months. Right now, he just wanted to get the ring far, far out of his sight, he couldn't even think about it or his exciting plans; instead his mind was full of the fiery images of what had happened in Coolsville.

Fred gave the girls the option of staying up with him and Shaggy so they could investigate further, but it was getting late and they both professed a desire to sleep, knowing they would be looking at getting on the first flight out tomorrow morning. Shaggy and Scooby had also retired to sleep so he was left alone with his thoughts.

The first thing he did after changing and stowing the ring safely in his luggage, was to try and call Ethan but he got no response. He remembered his previous urgency earlier and realised he might still be at work or given the later hour, maybe even on that date he had teased earlier in the week. He knew Ethan would doubtlessly be in touch as soon as he heard the news regardless.

Creeping around the bedroom, so as not to disturb his friends, Fred knew his brain was so wired right now that there was very little point in him even trying to sleep so he grabbed his laptop, firing it up in the small living area intending to start the investigation work early.

As soon as he typed in the word 'Coolsville,' he was assaulted by multiple images and reports of the attack. He clicked on one and began reading, his stomach flip-flopping at the details and he rested his chin on his hand grimly as he read.

"_Eyewitnesses described a pop of light and then a searing heat with screaming heard in the immediate aftermath."_

"_Firefighters on the scene were faced with a scene of devastation as shell shocked colleagues outside the explosion zone reacted in horror."_

"_One police source confided it is unlikely bodies will even be recovered from the remains of the structure."_

The latest update on one live blog was speculating that as many as potentially_ twenty_ had died. It was just too truly horrendous to comprehend. He quickly scrolled past some videos that had been taken on cell phones just seconds after, by kids who had been watching the police raid with interest from a distance and then, got the shock of their lives.

It still just did not seem real, the photos looked like a war zone, this was not their Coolsville. He was alerted from his thoughts by a snuffling sound, and turned around to see Scooby Doo, swiftly accompanied by Shaggy.

"Hey guys," he offered them a tired smile. "Can't sleep either?"

"Like you got it Fred, it's just impossible. Find out anything more?" Shaggy nodded towards the screen.

"Just that as many as twenty might be dead," he sighed.

"Well fuck."

"I know."

Shaggy walked closer to the laptop screen, bending down and staring at the devastating pictures with a curious expression, he scrunched his face up, seemingly studying the images closely, before he suddenly jolted upward in alarm.

"Rhaggy?" Scooby said in concern, laying a paw on his shoulder.

"Shaggy," Fred asked, also very worried by his reaction, "what is it, what did you see?"

"Are there any, uh, other pictures of the buildings, taken at other angles?" he managed to ask calmly, despite the fact something had clearly spooked him.

"Uh yeh, there are actually, just hang on a moment." Fred clicked through a series of images, showing them to his friend. He said nothing at first but it seemed to have confirmed something for Shaggy, who sat back on the couch heavily.

"You don't see it?"

Stomach now churning in worry after Shaggy's reaction, Fred gave the building itself a closer scrutiny, not seeing anything familiar at first he turned to Shaggy in puzzlement. "I don't see anything Shaggy...what am I supposed to...oh...oh..._oh_ _shit," _he said softly.

There was very little left of the bombed building itself but the surrounding ones were still partially visible and it was something on those that had alerted first Shaggy, and now Fred, to the bombed buildings' probable identity.

"Oh my god Shaggy, _that_ was where they were lured to? That can't be a coincidence, go get the girls, they'll want to know."

Shaggy disagreed with him at first, not wanting to disturb the sleeping girls, but he was reluctantly persuaded, and as soon as he got to the hut, he could see a light was still on. It was clear although they were dressed for bed, Daphne and Velma had actually been awake all this time talking and he wasn't disturbing much of anything at all.

They got up quickly, Daphne grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders as they followed Shaggy back to the boys' hut with growing trepidation.

Fred was sat in front of his laptop, a pensive expression on his face, making it hard to see what he was thinking. When Velma and Daphne walked in, he simply spun the laptop around to face them, so they too could see the images that had so startled himself and Shaggy.

Like Fred, they didn't recognise anything at first but soon, Velma too identified the familiar surroundings that silently confirmed what must have been standing where ruins were all that remained now. Both she and Fred had spent many hours in that building.

For Daphne however, she had only been there once or twice and found it much harder to place initially. When she did though, she felt like the temperature had dropped twenty degrees in an instant and shivered, a haunted feeling coming over her.

"Is that really..." the words stuck in her throat, refusing to be released.

Shaggy, Velma and Fred nodded grimly in response to her unfinished question.

"It's not even like it's just the district, I'm 99% certain that it's the actual building that exploded," Shaggy confirmed.

They all looked troubled, staring at the photographs with a renewed sense of apprehension. What had already been a horrific discovery had now become even worse with the knowledge of exactly what those smouldering remains were of. Finally, Fred spoke, typically grave now.

"I'm sorry Daphne, I don't think we can call this a coincidence," he stated, looking around at all of them now. "Knowing that it's almost certainly Shaggy's parents' warehouse that has been targeted in this manner, I think we've got to come to terms with the very real possibility now..."

"He's back," Daphne whispered.

* * *

Despite the late hour, nobody could sleep. There was little point, not when there was a very realistic chance that their worst nightmare had actually now returned, waging war on Coolsville in the most devastating way. It was the early hours in Honolulu now, almost seven hours since the attack.

Undoubtedly, the gang were fearful, they were also incredibly worried about the fates of their good friends, Detectives Will Barnum and Stella White. Ultimately however, it was the cold realisation that it could be Devon Blake - Daphne's murderous and long MIA uncle – that was behind this appalling crime that had them leaping into action.

First on their agenda, was booking their flights home, and Fred managed to get them all seats and a cargo place for Scooby, on a non-stop flight to Los Angeles for 6 pm, it would give them a lot of time to mull things over but it would have to do.

With their flights sorted, and with Daphne having made very welcome coffees for everyone, it was time to start their investigation in earnest, starting with the truth of just what really had been going on in Coolsville.

They all gathered around Fred's laptop ominously as he started to search.

Again, at first typing in 'Coolsville' only brought up information about the recent attack, but as Fred started to dig a little deeper, they were all soon stunned by the things that he found.

Staring at a recent headline on display from the _Chronicle, _had them all in a state of disbelief, how could this possibly be about their town?

"Stella told you it was only real estate and petty crime huh Velma? Safe to say it escalated quickly." Fred said, unnervingly eyeing some of the more notable headlines that jumped out from the screen.

_Third body found as gang warfare dominates town once again._

_Execution: Shocking murder of Professor in own home_

_Innocent bystander critically wounded in fourth armed bank robbery to take place in a month._

_Enough! Chronicle calls on authorities to step in to halt alarming slew of violent crime in the town._

They were all stunned by the news, but Velma in particular was in a state of quiet disbelief. Stella had told her that things had picked up a little recently, and a few delinquents had tried their luck, but generally it had been reasonably quiet for a while.

It couldn't be further from the truth.

Far from a sudden violent outbreak of crime that had came from nowhere, a considered amount of research showed the gang this was a steady and sustained period of increased crimes taking place in Coolsville for at least the last year.

For over a year, the gang had periodically checked in with Stella or Will only to get a cheerful exclamation from them that all was quiet or instead they recalled some farcical case. The gang never had any reason to doubt them or to check up on what was claimed. It was clear now, both Stella and Will had been at pains to paint a positive picture to disguise a truly horrifying truth.

"Oh god Stella," Velma said aloud, voicing everybody's thoughts on the matter, "what the _hell_ happened to Coolsville?"

* * *

Finding out their home had been attacked so decisively, had understandably rocked the gang. Nobody could fathom why a previously absent Devon would suddenly return with such a vengeance, and then why instead of asking for support, Stella and Will had lied over and over.

Of course, unbeknown to Mystery Inc. the lie actually went much, much deeper than that; Devon Blake had been back on the scene for a very, very long time...

_Coolsville. Six weeks after Mystery Incorporated departed._

"How long are we going to chase shadows for Stella? Physically _and_ metaphorically?" Will Barnum complained, as the Detectives took cover from another volley of shots from behind a car.

Stella White jumped up to fire off another one of her own shots, quickly getting a scream of pain in reply, she knew she had hit her target. The man in the scarecrow mask went down clutching his shoulder, and she smiled grimly at her partner as they proceeded towards him quickly.

Seeing him reach with his injured shoulder for his gun, she smartly kicked it away from his reach whilst Will held his own gun on him, she gave the signal and the rest of the armed police quickly moved in.

Will pulled off the scarecrow mask in disgust, and slapped the cuffs on him, taking absolutely no care with his injured shoulder as he pulled his arms behind his back.

"Where is he Eddie?" Stella asked him, as the man cried out in pain. "We know you work for him."

"Then you'll know, he doesn't get close until _he's_ ready detective," Eddie replied smugly as Will and a colleague pulled him up from the ground. "You can take out as many of us as you want, he's still protected at the top table darling."

Stella's shoulders slumped in disappointment but it was expected. He was the sixth one of Devon's underlings they had managed to capture in the last month but they were still no closer to unearthing his whereabouts, which remained unknown since he had orchestrated the staged mystery in Oakland.

"Take him," she instructed, adjusting her ponytail. "We go again next time."

* * *

_Coolsville, one year after Mystery Inc.'s departure._

"I hate to say it Stella but this feels like we are in a never ending battle and it's one that we cannot win. It's clear to me he's still orchestrating his chess pieces from afar." Will stated as they were stood outside their young colleague's hospital room, awaiting news of his condition.

"You're too defeatist," Stella replied, not wanting to admit she was beginning to feel the same way. "We just have to keep going, he will show his cards eventually."

"But at what cost Stella!" Will slammed his hand against the wall in pure frustration. "At what fucking cost?"

The young policeman lying still in the hospital bed had only tried to help their cause. He had desperately tried to stop one of the gang's getaway vehicle, only to be dragged under their car when they didn't stop. It was absolutely shocking and symptomatic of the violence that was steadily becoming the norm in Coolsville. He was just 27 years old and now in a coma and for Will this was the final straw. Chasing Devon Blake was increasingly like chasing a ghost; his influence was all over Coolsville and the surrounding area but his actual presence remained elusive.

"We'll get him," Stella stated. "We have to. The Coolsville that we know is disappearing from under our very noses."

* * *

_Coolsville. One year and six months after Mystery Inc. departure._

He had shown his face.

After almost two years of being merely a shadow puppeteer, Devon Blake had finally set foot in Coolsville. The day Stella came face to face with him took her totally by surprise. At the park with her youngest niece on a rare day off, she had become temporarily distracted by a phone call and to her absolute horror, she found Lucy chatting to a man animatedly at the edge of the playground.

As if the sight of _any_ stranger alone with Lucy wasn't terrifying enough, as she got closer, she glimpsed the man's facial scarring and she could have sworn her heart actually stopped beating in that moment.

She was too far away, she could close the gap to him in seconds but she was still too far away. He could reach down and scoop up her niece before she could even stop him. She had never felt such raw, naked fear in her life before and she feared she would just lose it but her calm actions, surprised even herself.

"Lucy, sweetheart," she beckoned to her niece, "it's time to go."

To her immense relief, Lucy turned away immediately, waving shyly at the man and it was as he turned fully towards Stella with a sinister smile that she felt the coldest shiver go through her.

"Good afternoon Detective," the man saluted her, tipping his hat to her and fully revealing his face at last.

Stella had long suspected that for Devon to escape the factory fire, that he couldn't have done so fully unscathed and she knew without any doubt that this was him. He still looked broadly the same in profile but his face was mesmerising for all the wrong reasons. Half of his face looked normal but the sunlight picked out scarring and burns on his right hand side, all the way down to his neck.

"Lucy come on," she pleaded with more urgency, and with a disheartened shrug at her new friend, Lucy skipped away from Devon back into Stella's arms, and Stella clutched her tightly to her.

"Don't you ever come near her again," she hissed.

Devon laughed and strolled away casually, knowing Stella would do nothing whilst Lucy was still around. "Be seeing you soon Detective..."

He strode to a waiting car, mock saluting her as he climbed into the back seat before it quickly sped away.

After that day, Stella White's mission to get Devon Blake became even more pronounced and frantic than ever before.

* * *

_Coolsville – Two months ago._

Since terrorising Stella that afternoon, Devon had stepped up his game. Careful to always stay just the right side of the shadows, he turned Coolsville into his own personal battleground, considerably upping the ante and the consequences were brutal. Rival gangs were slaughtering one another at will and violent robberies were massively on the rise. The town was under a curfew and it was a town living in fear.

Will Barnum, whose spirit had been deflated a long time ago with the death of one of their own, was called to a violent daytime bank robbery.

"This is the third one this month," Will muttered as he surveyed the scene at the bank that had just been hit. There was a pool of blood by the door, bullet holes in the ceiling, remnants left behind of the dangerous attack that had taken place.

Increasingly, it seemed it wasn't enough to merely attack and rob, this gang were intent on terrorising.

The young girl cashier, still shaking as she was tended to by a paramedic, was testimony to this.

Will sighed and walked over to the young girl and tried to give her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Hi...Nadia is it?" He tried to guess from her partially obscured name tag.

"Nadine."

"Nadine, hi. I'm Detective Will Barnum. I know this is going to be really tough but I need you to tell me what happened here."

Like many victims recently, he expected her to be tearful, but it shook him a little when she responded so aggressively.

"Why?" She spat bitterly. "It's not like you could stop them, you haven't stopped any so far. Perhaps if you had been doing YOUR job, I wouldn't have had a gun pointed in my face or had to watch a customer shot today."

Her words had Will reeling on the inside but on the outside, he maintained his professional demeanour. "We're doing everything we can to bring those responsible to justice, I can assure you of that," he replied smoothly and convincingly. They were just empty words, they had been pedalling the same line for months. The truth was, was that Devon continued to elude and the trail of devastation he left behind was getting even longer. She wasn't the first to lose her faith in law enforcement and she certainly wouldn't be the last.

Unfalteringly, Will took the witness aside anyway,_ maybe today could be the day they made the breakthrough_?

"Nadine, can you tell me exactly what happened after the men in the vampire masks burst in?"

* * *

_Coolsville. Today. One hour before the attack_

"Do we trust the intel?" Will asked Stella quietly just before they walked into the huge briefing she was about to lead on the prospective raid.

"He's there, he's got to be. Besides guess who once owned the warehouse?"

Will shrugged in response.

"One William Rogers, now sadly deceased."

Will cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "As in Norville SHAGGY Rogers?"

Stella nodded in the affirmitive. "Yup. Chances of Devon not being aware of this and choosing it at random? Slim to none. He's sending us a message for sure. It's time to end this."

She pushed open the door confidently and set out her detailed instructions for the warehouse raid to her assembled forces.

Taking out Devon Blake was the number one priority, ever since he had showed up at the park that day, she had been a woman on a mission to nail him. For far too long he had fucked with her, fucked with this town, it had to end.

There were many times she had considered contacting Daphne and the others. But every time something stopped her.

They were safe, they got out.

To the very best of her knowledge, Devon hadn't pursued the kids once they left America, she intended to keep it that way.

They didn't need to hear how he had returned to ruin Coolsville.

They didn't need to know about their failure.

Stella sighed..._so far...it was only their failure so far._

Tonight it had to end.

More and more residents were abandoning the town every day and who could blame them? Who wanted their kids to grow up in a town where robberies were a weekly, if not, DAILY occurrence and where the local high school had been shut down because of the biggest drugs bust in recent Californian history.

It was out of control.

Stella had to hold her hands up. Devon's criminal empire was sprawling and vast and showed no sign of slowing down.

But tonight...finally...a breakthrough.

There was a sense of nervous optimism as she and her team travelled to the warehouse, it was heightened by the phone call she took moments before arriving, from a well placed source.

He provided further intelligence, confirming their belief this was a base for Devon and he too asserted a similar desire that tonight would finally be the end of it. He had of course, helped them fight the good fight for over two years and she was more than grateful for his covert support.

"Thank you so much for all your help," she told him, "I'll hopefully see you soon."

"Was that?..." Will nodded towards the phone.

"Uh huh."

They sat in quiet contemplation for a minute. "You know this has to be it, Stella," he commented. "I've heard on the grapevine that we are days away from the FBI taking over."

"Oh for fucks sake."

"Exactly, it's our final chance. God I can't believe how screwed up this has become. I remember when my only annoyance in this town was the lame villains in the costumes whose only crime was stealing a few artefacts from a museum. How did things escalate so badly?"

"It all comes back to Devon Blake, once the saviour of the town, now the sole responsibility for it's destruction."

"Yeah, well tonight we destroy _him."_

Will was just as determined for the right ending as Stella. He smiled grimly as they got out the van outside the warehouse and assembled their units.

"Okay, tactical unit 1, you follow me around the back. We'll see you in there Detective."

Stella watched Will disappear with his armed unit and mobilised her unit for a two pronged assault. "Let's go get this son of a bitch."

* * *

After spending the last hour and a half reading through recent newspaper articles, it was fair to say the gang had been left reeling.

Fred sat back with a heavy sigh in his chair, his hands resting on the back of his head.

"Wow."

"I don't believe it," Velma muttered. "How could I have been so bloody stupid! We NEVER should have left."

"When did it get so _brutal_?" Daphne marvelled aloud sadly. "I mean take this example from two months ago...Customer injured as raiders target third bank in a matter of weeks. Eyewitnesses claim the unnamed injured man was shot at point blank range when he confronted the robbers. He is in a serious condition in hospital. I mean the number of _shootings_ alone..."

"It's incredibly hard to believe," Fred agreed. "The truth has been kept from us for a while it would seem."

"Even the High School man!" Shaggy bemoaned. "The whole town has been going to ruin, and now after this explosion..." he shuddered. "Is there anyone even left to save the town now?"

"It has to be us," Daphne said quietly. "We have to go. We can't turn our backs on this. But we can do no more tonight," she eyed her watch seeing it flash 3.22 am. "We_ need _to sleep guys, I know it will be difficult but we've got to try. We're going to drive ourselves crazy if we read any more. Let's leave the investigation work until we get back."

Nobody disagreed with her and they retired to their huts. When the five reunited in the late morning the next day, a walking mass of bleary-eyedness, it was obvious that very few minutes of sleep had been accumulated between them.

Daphne and Velma packed their belongings quickly, chatting as they did so.

"Why do you think she did it?" Velma asked, "why did Stella lie to us so easily?"

"I'm not sure what the answer is," Daphne replied, "although I firmly believe she tried to do the right thing, no matter how misguided it seems now."

"Yeh I'm starting to get that feeling too." Velma finished folding the last of her clothes in the suitcase and wandered into the small bathroom to collect her toiletries. She paused as she zipped up her wash bag.

"Daph?" She said in a quiet voice. "Do you think Stella and Will are gone?"

Daphne grimaced, she didn't want to voice her true feelings but it was all she had thought about last night when sleep never came to her.

"Honestly? If that blog is true and it_ is_ twenty...we've got to think it's likely."

"Yeah," Velma agreed sadly, "I've done the math and the odds are so very not in their favour."

At 2pm the sleep deprived and emotionally drained gang said a final sad farewell to their Hawaiian friends and arrived by taxi at Honolulu Airport.

The atmosphere between them was sombre, to keep entertained on their many travels, they often turned to games or to amuse themselves, made up their own stories about people that they saw. There was always laughter and no shortage of conversation. Anyone who saw them, saw four young friends and their dog, carefree and happy.

Today the five sat in quiet contemplative mood, they might as well have been strangers, it was so sad to see. In reality, they were lost in their own thoughts.

Shaggy had completely shut out the others, interacting only with Scooby, as he listened to music through his headphones.

Despite agreeing not to investigate, Fred was devouring the early edition newspaper articles on the attack, occasionally reading out the worst tidbits of information to Velma and Daphne.

Daphne was flipping through an impressive pile of glossy magazines, desperately trying to avoid the horrific reality of their world for just a few precious minutes.

Velma meanwhile was sat hunched forward, eyes glued to her cell phone. Certainly an unusual sight for her, she only possessed a cell phone out of necessity she had loudly declared on many occasions, her list of apps were slowly increasing, but only the very useful and practical made the cut. Social media and Velma Dinkley were not friends.

Curious what she could possibly be looking at so avidly, Daphne paused her incessant flipping and stole a glance at what her friend was looking at.

Catching sight of the email header, she sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up Velma."

Velma was stoically reading her recent email history with Stella, her thoughts rapidly skewering from upset to full on fury.

_Hi Velma!_

_So jealous to hear you're heading to Hawaii soon! Once again, I'm just in awe of everything you're doing. Who would have guessed that there was a whole influx of men (and women!) in masks just waiting for you to unmask them. You should write a book one day, I have no doubt it would be a best seller. Have you made any progress on Scooby's speech? (I still don't believe you by the way, send me a video of him 'talking!' and then I might!)_

_You won't be surprised to hear it's all quiet here. Will and I apprehended some vampire fanboy wannabe recently but that's about it. All quiet on the West Coast front!"_

Velma read that final line over and over again until she felt like her eyes were bleeding.

_All quiet on the West Coast front._

She wasn't just lying, she was at such absolute pains to conceal the truth that she wrapped it up in a fantasy vision of their home. Velma was furious, if they had so much glanced at their local news at any point the past few months, they would have known. Stella and Will must have trusted the fact that they would have no suspicions, that they would have been far too busy. And the gang had been busy. They had travelled carefree and content across the globe, without even a second thought for their home town. They had paid their debts. How wrong they were.

Just before boarding time, Shaggy went to prepare Scooby's travel crate and the dog sighed resignedly when he saw the huge cage been wheeled in once again.

"Rargo?" he said and his four friends nodded sadly.

"Sorry buddy," Shaggy exclaimed, patting Scooby's head. "It's not too long this time, we'll be there before you know it." Scooby pulled away slightly as Shaggy attached his lead, knowing how much Scooby hated being leashed.

"You know I've got to do this Scooby," Shaggy sighed, preparing to take Scooby on his final walk around outside before they headed to the departure lounge.

Fred, Velma and Daphne gathered to say their goodbyes to Scooby and Scooby whined softly, sensing the change in atmosphere within the gang. They were hesitant and although Scooby didn't full understand exactly what was going on, he could sense the overwhelming fear.

Daphne shook as she hugged him and Velma was a raging ball of anger and although Fred was clearly trying to hold everything together, Scooby could sense his inner turmoil.

Seconds before Shaggy took Scooby for his walk, Daphne's cell phone rang and she walked a little away from them to answer it, struggling to hear the caller at first.

Fred watched her as she first placed one hand over her ear to try and hear the call better. Her body language before taking the call was already agitated and he was concerned as this only seemed to grow. He knew she was listening intently to the caller, hugging herself tightly, a neutral expression on her face. Whoever it was was obviously explaining something and he selfishly hoped it wasn't another case, they needed to focus all of their energies on Coolsville. He continued to watch her with a growing sense of dread as she began to react to the contents of the mostly one way conversation. Her face visibly dropped and she almost crashed straight into someone as she numbly thanked the caller.

She slowly walked back towards them almost in a trance, fully getting Shaggy and Velma's attention now.

She placed the cell phone slowly back into her bag, before her eyes met the concerned ones of her boyfriend and her friends.

"Daphne?" Fred asked, desperately trying to keep the panic from his voice. "Sweetheart, what is it?"

He expected her to react dramatically, instead they were all left stunned as she spoke with quiet formality and said blandly without any emotion.

"That was the American Embassy in Japan...Ethan is missing."


	4. The Split

**A/N: Quick weekend update and a shorter than usual chapter from me, enjoy!**

* * *

"He's missing?" Velma felt an undeniable jolt of fear run through her at Daphne's revelation but tried not to let it show. With the attack on Coolsville as recently as last night, it was hardly likely to be a coincidence that something had now happened to Ethan too, but she didn't dare share this hypothesis with Daphne.

Daphne for her part was still remaining remarkably composed, even as she revealed the next chilling piece of information she had been given, to the gang.

"Yes, uh, I had told Freddy earlier that his friend had sent me a message to say he hadn't shown up for work that morning. Well, apparently because of the nature of Ethan's work, his disappearance was then immediately reported to the local police and subsequently, the Embassy."

She spoke calmly, Fred had wrapped his arm reassuringly around her shoulders, but like Velma, he too had a very foreboding feeling about this unfortunate double turn of events.

"And uh that's not all," Daphne continued, her voice not even faltering. "The American Embassy, they informed me that his uh, his motorcycle has already been located."

"Oh but like that's good news right? It means they'll have a better chance of finding him quickly?" Shaggy asked her hopefully but his face dropped when she sadly shook her head at him.

"Um no Shaggy, er not really, the thing is they found his motorcycle, or uh, what's left of it, at the bottom of a cliff face overlooking the sea." She declared as mundanely as if she was reading today's weather forecast, much to the absolute horror of everyone else.

"Oh my god Daphne, I'm so sorry," Velma breathed.

Fred immediately felt empty inside, he kept hold of Daphne, wrapping her into his arms now but tears pricked the back of his own eyes as he felt an instant overwhelming sense of grief in his heart, for Daphne's loss, and ultimately for a man who had become a very close friend of his.

When Fred released her from the hug however, Daphne did not cry, she did not even look shaken. Fred worried that she had gone into shock, unable to grieve properly but it was perhaps worse than that, he very quickly realised.

"It just means it will be harder for us to track him down," she continued to speak matter of factly, like they were just planning another mystery and Fred's insides twisted inside out as he realised with a feeling of abhorrence, that she was simply not even accepting the possibility that Ethan was dead.

"But Daphne..." Velma ventured, and he silently shook his head 'no' at her, and Velma wisely closed her mouth again.

"Of course, we still need to figure out what's going on in Coolsville," Daphne mused thoughtfully, while her friends were still reeling; Fred was actually doing his level best not to cry in front of her, when she completely startled him by giggling softly.

Usually he couldn't get enough of her adorable little laugh but it was completely out of place in an already sombre atmosphere and she looked to him with a girlish smile.

"Sorry Freddy but I am going to have to say it. I think we need to split up gang!"

The others continued to gape at her in consternation, not even sure what to say as she continued. "I mean this is probably going to be the biggest split we have ever undertaken. Velma, Shaggy, you take Scooby on our intended flight and head back to Coolsville. Fred and I will go to Hong Kong and find Ethan and then we can all join you there."

Daphne had just unveiled a plan as calmly and as casually as if they were once again stood in some 'haunted' mansion and they had just decided that herself and Fred would search upstairs, whilst Velma and the guys searched downstairs. In reality, she had just instructed them to split up onto two different sides of the world and Shaggy, Velma and Fred were left stunned by her cold pragmatism in the face of such distressing news.

Again, Velma desperately wanted to say something but she had to just bite her tongue and instead she just nodded weakly at Daphne. "Sure thing Daph."

Daphne smiled at her and then gently moved out of Fred's arms, "I'm just going to go see if we can grab a couple of tickets to Hong Kong."

Fred kissed her on the cheek absently, still struggling to process everything himself. He watched her walk over to the queue for the sales desk and then turned back to find Shaggy and Velma also watching her sadly.

He felt completely numb inside, the news about Coolsville had been bad enough but this had taken his breath away.

_Not Ethan, please not Ethan_

He realised he had released a tear, and he reached up to angrily swipe it from his cheek. He could deal with his own emotions later, Daphne was his concern right now and clearly his friends felt the same way.

"Oh god Fred, she's in denial, the poor thing, what are you going to do?" Velma asked, her face creasing with worry for her friend.

"Nothing," Fred replied to the obvious surprise of his friends.

"Nothing?" repeated Shaggy. "You're really going to let Daph travel all the way to Japan, thinking she's going to bring Ethan back?"

"What choice do I have?" Fred said quietly, still wrestling with his own feelings of grief about Ethan being gone. "Besides," he reasoned, knowing how ridiculous his next assertion would sound, "he's not _definitely_ dead is he?"

Velma and Shaggy gaped at him with obvious alarm.

"Oh Fred, not you too," Velma sighed. "His motorcycle was found at the bottom of a steep cliff. People don't just walk away from those kind of accidents!"

"Perhaps not," Fred agreed. "But, until we know for sure, I have to continue to allow her to have some kind of hope." _And allow myself some hope_ he silently thought in his head.

"Fred..." Velma cautioned but Fred shook his head to stop the tears that were threatening to leak from his eyes like a fast flowing river now.

"Look guys, I'm not delusional. I know it's likely that Ethan is probably dead but...I can't shatter Daphne, not now, not after what happened in Coolsville. Until we know otherwise, I have to let her hope he could still be alive.

Please don't say anything to her, I know it's not ideal but we've got to do this. She needs to be in Japan and I have to go with her."

Velma and Shaggy nodded their understanding but Velma especially felt unsettled and apprehensive. They already knew returning to Coolsville was going to be dangerous and fraught with difficulty but she had felt reasonably secure knowing they were all going together. The thought of Daphne and Fred now being absent from the trip, gave her monumental cause for concern. Not least because that now meant she would be alone with Shaggy. Secretly that morning, she had already asked Daphne if she could sit with her on the plane home as they had been given pairs of seats. Daphne had happily agreed, although they hadn't yet told the boys. Now, she was facing up to five hours alone with Shaggy in an enclosed space. Her social anxiety made the very thought a nauseous one but she couldn't let it show, instead she simply said resolutely.

"Of course, we understand Freddy."

"Thanks guys, I think as far as she's concerned, we're going to Japan to investigate a missing person..." He glanced over at the desk, frowning when he saw Daphne pause in the line instead of stepping forward, causing a few people to start angrily shouting at her. "Look, I'm going over to see if she's okay, but remember for Daph's sake, don't break her heart please? Let's just pretend that what we are doing is completely and totally normal. "

Shaggy and Velma exchanged looks as Fred jogged over to Daphne.

He caught up to her side quickly as still in a little daze, she finally slowly stepped forward uncertainly.

"Hey honey, can I help you?" the desk clerk asked kindly.

Fred gently steered Daphne by the elbow, edging her to the desk, snapping her out of her reverie, and they both now stood in front of the young sales girl.

"Yes you can," Fred said, giving her a kilowatt smile as he took charge. "I know this is very, very last minute but we need tickets on your next available flight to Hong Kong, direct or indirect."

"Oh wow, you don't ask for much do you handsome?" the young girl smiled widely at him. Fred sneaked a sideways glance to his left at Daphne, the innocent flirting that usually prompted something of a catty remark in return, didn't even cause her to as much as flinch right now.

He smiled politely as the clerk searched through booking information on her screen.

"Okay, so the only available seats I have are with a layover In Manila, the last minute fare is $685 dollars each and departs in five hours time, any good?"

"That's perfect," Fred sighed relieved, reaching into his wallet to hand over his card. "That was lucky to grab two seats together!"

"Ah," the girl smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry sir but these are the last available single two seats on the whole of the flight. One is at the front, the other is nearer the rear."

Fred's face fell. "Oh no, then that won't do, see we _have_ to sit together."

The girl was less sympathetic now, sensing an awkward customer. "I'm sure you do sir, couples like you always do," she replied unnecessarily, narrowing her eyes at Daphne jealously.

"No, you don't understand," he remonstrated, his voice rising louder now. "She's just had some bad news and I need to be with her at all..."

Daphne laid a hand on his arm gently, finally finding her voice again. "It's fine Freddy, honestly, I'll be OK."

"No Daphne, it's a ten hour flight, that's too long for you to be by yourself!" Fred knew he sounded dangerously possessive but he didn't care, he didn't want Daphne alone with her thoughts for such a long time.

"Sir, I can assure you, your girlfriend will be perfectly safe at the rear of the plane. Look, you're holding the line up sir, do you want these tickets or not?" The girl asked nothing but impatience on her face and in her tone of voice now.

"We'll take them," Daphne confirmed serenely, holding Fred's hand and looking to him reassuringly. "Babe, I'll be fine, I'll just sleep, I promise. You know we could be waiting days for a flight seated together."

Fred knew he couldn't keep Daphne waiting and it was imperative that they got to Hong Kong as quickly as possible. He reluctantly handed over his card and their passports with a tight smile to purchase the seats, before making their way back to Shaggy and Velma.

"This isn't healthy," Shaggy warned as soon as Fred was out of earshot, he was not liking Fred's 'just let Daph pretend it's not happening' strategy one little bit. "It's going to hit her like a ton of bricks eventually, I hope Fred knows he's going to have to be the strongest he's ever been for her."

"He'll be there for her, he'll always be there for her," Velma murmured. "God, I can't believe Ethan's gone. How has everything gone so wrong in a matter of hours Shaggy?! We should be standing in the airport now preparing to fly home in celebration after our friends' engagement. Instead, we're flying home alone because Coolsville has been attacked, and our distinctly not engaged friends have to go to Hong Kong to find out if Ethan is really dead. I just knew our lives right now were too good to be true." she added almost wistfully, catching Shaggy off-guard with the sentiment.

"Too good to be true?" He scoffed scornfully, immediately causing a now withdrawn Scooby Doo to turn away forlornly. "You really thought our lives, punctuated by danger around every corner, were fucking _too good to be true_?"

Velma inwardly reeled at the venomous nature of Shaggy's words but remained calm.

"I just meant we were having fun, together as a group, no commitments. We were all happy..."

"We were?" Shaggy was incredulous now. "I swear you actually get off on the dangerous parts of what we do...do you actually ENJOY it?! You know what, don't answer that...putting aside the batshit crazy things we do for a living, you still thought we were happy...sure Fred and Daph are...but _us_?"

"Don't Shaggy," she said quietly, unable to look at him, she was watching Fred who looked look like he was arguing with the sales clerk now. "Now isn't the time..."

"It's never the time though is it Velma?" Shaggy grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him before continuing furiously. "I'm sick of you crawling into my bed, telling me that things will be different this time only for you to freak out the next day. And stupid me keeps falling for it every freaking time!"

"Shaggy, stop...it's co..."

"Complicated? Yeh I know, don't I fucking know it," he cut in resentfully, making Velma cringe.

She saw Fred walking back with Daphne purposefully now and tried to put aside her hurt feelings. "Shaggy," she begged, "this _really_ isn't the time. We'll talk...I promise."

"When?" Shaggy hissed as they approached. "When is the right time?"

Velma swallowed nervously, making a commitment to discussing it later. "The plane," she whispered, "we'll talk about it on the plane OK?"

The answer seemed to satisfy Shaggy who nodded as Fred and Daphne returned.

"Okay, we got ourselves on a flight," Fred confirmed, "we fly in five hours time. Shall we walk Scooby now?"

Shaggy led the way awkwardly with Scooby on the lead as they headed back outside the terminal. Fred walked next to Shaggy and Daphne grabbed Velma's elbow urgently, the obvious animosity between Shaggy and Velma had not gone unnoticed by her, despite her distractedness.

"Vel," she said breathlessly, "are you going to be OK with Shaggy?On your own, I mean? It looked like there's still some tension between you."

" Oh and some," Velma smiled ruefully, "but you know what Daph? This is serious, we're going to need each other now no matter what. I think we're both going to have to swallow some pride. Coolsville needs Mystery Inc. and although they're not getting the full package, they need _us_, so I think we need to just get over ourselves."

Daphne smiled proudly at her friend and hugged her to her breast. "I love you Velma. So you'll talk?"

"On the plane, we've got five hours, I figure by the time we land we will have reached an understanding, I hope."

"Are you going to tell him...you know...everything?"

"I'm not sure, we'll see how it goes."

"Let me know."

"Of course, and Daphne?"

Daphne turned back to Velma with a smile on her face and Velma faltered, unable to say what she truly wanted. "I hope you find Ethan soon."

* * *

After the short walk, Shaggy took Scooby to be processed for boarding cargo, leaving Fred, Velma and Daphne alone. They knew they had just about an hour left all together before Shaggy and Velma would depart for Los Angeles. News of the attack in Coolsville was hard to avoid, discussions about it were taking place all around them, and it was still playing out on screens around Honolulu Airport. After their initial research last night and the horrifying discovery that Stella had lied about the truth of how things were going in Coolsville, they hadn't yet dug any deeper preferring to start it all afresh when they got home. With Fred and Daphne now taking on an entirely different pilgrimage to Hong Kong, their plans were going to have to change significantly.

As time ticked closer and closer to the Los Angeles flight boarding time, the atmosphere - once Shaggy returned - between the four of them remained tense, nobody knowing quite what to say.

Tension was very much still in the air between Shaggy and Velma which was far from ideal given they were about to pair off together. The fear that an attack specifically taking place at the factory once owned by Shaggy's parents, and Ethan 'disappearing' probably around the same time - albeit the other side of the world – were linked, was a fear that was being unvoiced but very much considered by most of them.

Daphne still said very little, spending most of the time staring outside the terminal window and Velma wondered how she was _really_ feeling right now. In the space of a few hours she had been hit with a triple sledgehammer of blows; A shocking attack on the police back home, the likely re-emergence of her murderous uncle and an ominous and untimely disappearance of Ethan in Hong Kong. It was an awful lot to take in and she seemed guarded on her feelings, besides her bright and almost forced belief that Ethan would soon turn up fine. Velma knew that privately Daphne may well know how futile it was to hope Ethan was still alive but she was clearly trying to maintain an outward positivity. On top of all that they all also had to contend with the very real possibility that Detectives White and Barnum were also dead.

Velma sighed, and looking around the generally amiable airport bustle, soon found herself reflecting on the very good spirits with which they had arrived in Honolulu with just three short days ago.

After spending months in Europe chasing mysteries there, she had read online about some 'sightings' of Mano Tiki Tia and it hadn't taken long to persuade the rest of the gang to come and investigate.

Fred was excited by the prospect of going to Hawaii because he had been trying to pluck up the courage to propose to Daphne for months but didn't have the perfect setting, Hawaii certainly appealed on that front. Shaggy and Scooby had recently expressed a keenness to get back to the States, and Daphne was naturally enthused about any kind of stay in Hawaii.

Three days earlier, the five of them had walked through this very same airport, with Daphne and Fred as loved up as ever and herself and Shaggy, happy and joking, Scooby by their side. They looked like they didn't have a care in the world and although that wasn't quite strictly true, they were all in quite a relaxed head space on arrival. It had all disappeared in an instant.

The scene in the airport right now was in stark contrast.

Fred normally the most well adjusted, looked visibly drained. He was slumped over in his chair, Daphne was snuggled up onto his shoulder, and his arm was stroking her back up and down but he was doing it absently without his usual affection, clearly in a world of his own. As for Velma and Shaggy they were sitting quietly with a chair between them but it may as well have been an ocean. There was a huge repair job ahead of them.

Eventually, it was time for Velma and Shaggy to leave and the four of them rose as a group now for the saddest and biggest 'splitting up' they had ever had to do.

First there were the individual hugs as Velma and Shaggy said goodbye to Daphne and Fred and then as had become customary for them, a group hug. Fred pulled his friends in close before breaking apart reluctantly a few moments later.

There was such uncertainty hanging over them right now; who knew what terrible news and danger, Shaggy and Velma might find awaiting them in Coolsville, or what horrors Fred and Daphne could discover on arrival in Japan.

Shaggy didn't dare say it but he knew as he hugged them, that this might even be the last time they were all together as a foursome and he found himself desperately hoping that Scooby would also get to spend plenty of time with Freddy and Daphne yet. They would all be together again, they had to be.

Eyes brimming with tears she fiercely blinked back, Velma hugged Daphne a final time before she leaned into Fred. "Take care of her," she whispered sternly. "No matter what happens in Japan, she's going to need you Fred."

"You know I will, Velma," he replied quietly in her ear before speaking louder. "Let us know as soon as you get home guys, and if you find out anything about Stella or Will..." he said sadly. "We'll do the same."

"See you soon," said Velma firmly, refusing to believe their reunion would be anything but. She glanced at Shaggy who nodded at her and they walked away, close enough to each other to determine they were travelling together but without any warmth between them.

Fred and Daphne stood together silently watching them sadly as finally the tall, scrawny shoulders of Shaggy eventually disappeared from sight.

He pulled her in close to him, knowing he was all she had now. "I'll keep you safe," he whispered. "I'll always be here for you Daphne," he said sincerely, his arms wrapping around her waist. She placed her hands over his, feeling safe and secure, and his heart deflated again when he caught sight of her bare ring finger. He kissed her cheek, inhaling the scent of the fresh shampoo in her hair. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she replied instantly.

* * *

Some hours later, both planes were in the air carrying the two halves of _Mystery Incorporated _in opposite directions. They didn't know it yet but both halves were flying into untold danger.


	5. Chat and Nightmares at 30,000 ft: Part 1

**A.N. Another weekend update! Warning: There are particularly dark themes that are touched upon in this chapter. This is also a two part chapter. Your feedback and interactions, as always are greatly appreciated. Thank you.**

_Shaggy and Velma – Hawaiian Airlines Flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles._

You could still cut the tension with the proverbial knife.

Since leaving Fred and Daphne behind, they had passed through security and boarding, barely exchanging any pleasantries, conversing only to discuss details about their flight schedule.

Neither Velma nor Shaggy were as close to Ethan as Fred, and obviously Daphne were, but they both still felt devastated by the news that he was potentially dead. It didn't seem fair, Daphne had missed so much of her life unaware they were actually siblings, and now it seemed, he was gone forever.

Shaggy followed Velma despondently down the aisle, towards their seats in the middle of the plane. He waited patiently as she dumped her carry-on into the overhead locker and slumped into her middle seat. He took the aisle seat, grateful for the extra room for his long legs. They sat through the take-off and safety talk in uncomfortable silence and once they were air-bourne, Shaggy fully expected her to then curl away from him and sleep, conveniently avoiding her promised conversation, but she caught him by complete surprise when instead she turned to him. She locked eyes with him before she reached for his hand and spoke with with such utter sincerity that it melted the frosty atmosphere between them instantly;

_Shaggy,_ _we need to talk._

The feel of her delicate fingers on his palm was like electricity. Her eyes, bright and wide, and always his favourite feature, seemed to stare into his very soul.

In that moment for both Shaggy and Velma, they were now the only people aboard the plane, they were completely shut out to anything else happening around them. This feeling was cemented when the air hostess emerged with the catering trolley and Shaggy barely even acknowledged her presence and even more astonishingly, waved her on. This was the moment Velma knew she was going to have Shaggy's rapt and undivided attention for the next five hours. She took a little inward breath, preparing herself, this had to be it, this had to be the moment she finally revealed herself to him. She felt like she was shedding her skin, shedding the facade she had hidden herself under for so long, it felt liberating in one way but ultimately it was terrifying.

_One step at a time though,_ she reminded herself. She would unveil those painful memories to him eventually, but first she needed to repair the damage she had done to their friendship, when she once again had pushed him away.

"Shaggy, I know I've hurt you, repeatedly, and we will get around to talking about our relationship but please hear me out."

Shaggy nodded at her, indicating he was willing to listen without interruption and Velma continued.

"We're on our own now Shaggy. Who knows when Fred and Daphne will even be able to join us in Coolsville? If Daphne finds what I fear she'll find in Japan, it could be an incredibly long time. Coolsville needs _us_ though and no matter what's happened between us and what I might tell you in the next few hours, I need to know first of all, that you will be with me and we will put on a united front. I need to know that first Shaggy, before I say anything else, can you do that? Can you swear we'll still work together no matter what?" Velma held her breath in anticipation.

Her words had certainly unsettled Shaggy, and he could feel his heart start to beat just that little bit faster, just what was she going to tell him? He then thought about how easily he was able to put aside his complicated feelings about her to operate the trap together to stop a dangerous Koi yesterday and realised the answer was actually easy.

"Yes," he replied earnestly. "Yes Velma, putting everything else aside, I know Coolsville needs us. I will do whatever it takes to help you to help them, no matter what we might be facing when we land."

Velma nodded, her heart swelling in relief but she also felt a shiver of fear run through her when Shaggy reminded her they were flying into the unknown, Coolsville was seemingly in the grip of terror, they would undoubtedly be walking into danger. Before she could start to mentally prepare to unload, Shaggy spoke again.

"Velma, before you start, I just need to know something, these last couple of months... have I just been an easy lay for you?"

Velma stared at Shaggy absolutely dumbfounded, she almost pulled her hand away in shock, feeling completely speechless for once. Did he really think so little of her feelings for him? She realised with guilt that she had been totally unreadable but still his words _stung._

"Shaggy," she spluttered, her voice tinged with hurt. "Do you really think that?"

He shrugged indifferently at her, "what else am I supposed to think? As a four we spend quite an extraordinary amount of time, solely in each other's company and well, we all have needs, you couldn't have Fred obviously, but... I'm just there aren't I?"

Her mouth gaped open, the scathing tone in his voice biting into her soul with every word. She was such a closed book to him recently, she was in real danger of Shaggy _resenting_ her. He thought she was just using him for sex! Their relationship was even more damaged than she thought.

"My god Shaggy I'm so sorry!" She tried to reach to stroke his hair but he flinched away from him so she tightly grasped his hand instead. "I can't believe you would ever think I saw you like that. I _care_ for you Shaggy. I have done for such a long time...It's so hard to explain but..."

Her impassioned voice broke off as her eyes travelled beyond Shaggy to notice the gaggle of passengers with their heads turned avidly in their direction. Noticing the brunette's fiery glare, they quickly snapped away again just as quickly when they knew she had spotted them. Her face flushed beetroot red as she considered how loud their conversation had been, they were providing all the in-flight entertainment! Who didn't love a bit of relationship drama on a long flight?

She dropped her voice noticeably lower as she continued. "Relationships, they're hard for me. And every time we get close I just panic!"

"I would never hurt you Velma," Shaggy replied quietly.

"I know! Believe me I know, but there's always this nagging, insistent voice telling me to back away. It's fight or flight and I choose flight every time. And I know it hurts you and it hurts me so much. More than you'll ever know."

"And yet you still do it, over and over again and I fall for it every damn time," Shaggy sighed wearily. "We can't keep doing this, _I _can't keep doing this, it's going to rip us all apart if we continue this cycle."

"I know..." Velma nodded rabidly, "I want to use the time while we're alone on this flight to get everything out in the open..." Her eyes narrowed and she scowled as she clocked the particularly persistent young eavesdropper in the aisle opposite, leaning forward in her seat, her hand resting on her chin drinking in every last word of Velma and Shaggy's passionate discussion. All she was missing was the obligatory popcorn.

The girl didn't even have the decency to turn away when Velma's eyes blazed furiously in her direction. When she still didn't take the hint, Velma scowled across the aisle at her.

"Hey! If you look at that screen in front of you, you'll find plenty of that drama you so obviously crave!" she yelled sharply.

Shaggy sank back in his seat in embarrassment but the girl finally responded. She uncrossed her legs and sat back, huffing loudly as she made a show of scrolling through the screen options all the while glaring at Velma. She then exaggeratedly snapped her headphones on and smirked as if to say '_happy now?' _Unable to help herself, Velma gave the girl a sarcastic clap before turning to Shaggy once again. She took both his hands in hers now, holding them in a soft grip.

Shaggy shifted his body round slightly to block the view of the eavesdropper just in case she decided to try it again. They didn't have to worry about the third passenger in their row, a middle-aged man occupying the window seat. He already had his sleep mask on, curled up against the window, a layer of drool already visible on his lip.

She spoke quietly but passionately, "I could spend ages telling you how I never meant to hurt you but I know that is scant comfort to you. But I do want you to know this. Those months we spent together, just after forming_ Mystery Incorporated_ were easily the happiest I have ever known."

"Like, me too."

Velma beamed but knew Shaggy wanted...no _deserved,_ further answers. She couldn't tell him her whole story, she knew she wasn't ready yet but she could scratch the surface.

"I know we're good together," she whispered, tracing the lines on his palm delicately.

He felt his head moving in closer to hers naturally, and knew he was falling under her spell _again. _He pulled back sharply.

"Don't Velma."

"I'm damaged Shaggy!" she breathed desperately. "I'm the most fucked-up girl you're ever likely to meet and you deserve so much better!"

To Shaggy's horror, she started quietly sobbing and he just didn't know what to say, instead he awkwardly placed a hand on her knee.

"Look Vel, you can't just throw something like that at me," he said quietly. "Either tell me what's really going on or like, don't say anything at all." He folded his arms looking straight at her, awaiting her response.

Velma gulped, it was now or never, she opened her mouth to speak...

* * *

_Fred and Daphne – Philippines Airlines Flight to Hong Kong via Manila _

Fred felt completely on edge as he waited for their flight number to be called. Daphne had barely spoken of Ethan since, but his fate was all that Fred could think of. He'd obviously Skyped him the afternoon before he was reported missing and he couldn't help but remember that abrupt way Ethan had left their conversation, could that have been related to what eventually happened?

Fred knew Ethan was an experienced and accomplished motorcyclist, so he privately doubted that there was any likelihood of this having being an accident.

He was, of course, also worried about Daphne. Far from seeming worried about Ethan, she had barely acknowledged it. In fact, Fred reflected, she was acting as if they were merely going to meet Ethan. Knowing she was about to spend the best part of ten hours in her own company, Fred knew he couldn't shatter this belief. She was curled up on his shoulder, looking peaceful for the time being.

Reacting to their sudden flight call, he gently nudged her awake and they slowly got to their feet. It was going to be so strange being in the same space at 30,000 feet but not actually together.

As they walked, he kept his arm around her shoulders, giving them a little squeeze. "Are you sure you're going to be OK? I could ask if they had any last minute cancellations..."

"Freddy," Daphne smiled tiredly. "It's fine, I'm on the same plane as you just a few rows further back. If I really need you then I will come find you, I promise. Honestly with ten hours ahead of us, I really am just planning on sleeping," she exclaimed, clutching her travel pillow tightly. "I suggest you do the same. Look they're boarding your section now, go!"

Fred pulled her towards him for one final deep kiss, before grabbing his bag reluctantly and walking to the already growing line. He gave one final wave, after handing his passport and documents over and then he was in the cattle line without her, heading for the plane.

Having quickly been directed to his seat, he was pleased to sink into the window seat, and smiled politely at the immaculately turned out elderly lady that soon sat down next to him.

"That your girl back there?" she asked with a smile, having obviously seen himself and Daphne in the departure lounge.

"Uh yeah," he smiled sheepishly, realising how embarrassing it must seem to have such a pronounced separating, when she was still boarding the same flight. "We had to get real last minute tickets for this flight, so we had to separate."

"Aw sonny," she said kindly, "if it wasn't for my arthritis and needing all this lovely extra legroom in this seat, I would have swapped with your sweetheart."

Fred felt immediately mortified."Oh god no, I would never have expected you, or anyone to do anything like that! We're absolutely fine ma'am."

The lady scolded him straight away. "Young man! I may be 85, and your manners are absolutely exemplary but please never call me ma'am. It makes my every last sinew twitch. Please, do call me Dorothy."

He smiled warmly as she continued to stare at him, but on the inside he was already squirming uncomfortably. Dorothy then proceeded to turn mere 'uncomfortable' up by about a 100 notches.

"Such a handsome boy," she cooed, "your girl is very lucky. You know, you remind me so much of my Bobby when we were courting," Dorothy said wistfully, her eyes misting over, as she reminisced over a lost love.

The plane lurched a little then, and she looked more than a little alarmed as they taxied for take-off. "Would you mind ever so much, doing a silly old lady a little favour sonny and hold my hand while we take-off?" Her eyes were now so wide-eyed and frightened, that Fred had no hesitation in saying yes.

"Sure, and please call me Fred," he winked, reaching across the arm rest and very gently and carefully; clasping her frail, wrinkled hand in his.

"Thank you Fred," she replied gratefully, holding onto his hand with a bone clenching grip for the entire time it took to reach altitude. Only when the seat belt release sign came on, did she let go, and she patted his hand fondly. "Such a lovely boy."

"It was my pleasure ma...erm, _Dorothy,_" Fred replied, smiling as he thought about how amused Daphne would be, when he told her the story later.

"Gets me every time," she commented. "Lord knows I've travelled on enough planes over the years. I'm okay once we're up. Going to see my daughter in Hong Kong."

"We're going to visit...an er..." he felt his stomach clench tightly, "an old friend."

"That's nice dear, don't worry I won't keep you up nattering away, you look pretty tired, why don't you take a nap?"

Fred had hardly slept at all the night before and he doubted if he would be able to sleep now but with ten hours to pass, he was definitely going to try. He settled himself as comfortably as he could into his seat and tried to put all of his worries out of his mind. The gentle lulling of the plane and the general quietness of the cabin as most passengers also opted for sleeping meant he was quickly successful. His sleep was far from restful however.

He quickly found himself in a dream-like state that didn't seem to make much sense at all until finally some of the others came into view and he realised he was about to replay a nightmare he had had a couple of times recently about one of their most significant and terrifying European cases.

The gang were in Venice, hot on the trail of some sinister masked and caped gondolier that was after some ancient treasure in the form of a set of special amulets. Posing as American art students, the gang were in a gallery together observing the last remaining amulet. It really was a beauty of a stone, bejewelled on a golden medallion, it shimmered and sparkled effortlessly.

One of the older students, Mario, who was a bit of a sleaze and had already made something of a drunken pass at Daphne at a party last night, took the amulet from the plinth, insisting that Daphne should wear it. Naturally, it looked amazing on her and she enjoyed wearing it for a few minutes. As she was preparing to take it off however, that was when Fred's personal recurring nightmare began in earnest.

The lights went out, plunging the huge room into darkness, and suddenly one of the guests screamed that '_it was the Ghostly Gondolier_' and a panicked stampede to get out ensued. In the darkness and hysteria, the gang were quickly separated, and Fred's heart fell into his stomach when he couldn't find Daphne at all.

Usually the nightmare then continued solely from Fred's point of view, whereby he had found himself standing outside the Gallery with Shaggy and Scooby, and with both the girls still missing.

This time however, his fingers twitched in his sleep when he realised he was about to become an observer to the events that he had never personally witnessed, but had only been told about by Daphne later.

A panicked Daphne ran out of the room alone and it was clear she had been deliberately targeted by the Ghostly Gondolier, which made sense as she was still wearing the amulet he was supposedly after.

Trapped within his own nightmare, Fred could only watch helplessly as she ran up and down empty corridors, hopelessly lost and calling out for the gang. Eventually, she was cornered in an alley out the back by the Gondolier and in sheer desperation she had unclasped the amulet from her neck and offered it straight to him. Fred's hands clenched into fists in his sleep, he knew what happened next.

The masked menace said nothing at first, only grinning at her sinisterly and this was when things took the darkest turn that the gang had faced in their mystery solving since Devon. Pulling at his hood, he allowed it to fall down and removed the black mask, instantly unmasking himself as he stepped into a pool of light.

"Now, Daphne my dear," the newly revealed Mario mocked her, as she reacted in terror. "Why would I want to do that, when the amulet is not all that I want here?"

His wicked intention now clear, Daphne screamed and attempted to make a break for it past him. Quick as a flash, he grabbed her, pulling her towards him, a gloved hand firmly clamping over her mouth to silence her screams. He dragged her out of the alley, re-fastening his hood and this is when the nightmare shifted back to the real-life point of view of Fred, an instant replay of the most horrifying passage of minutes or maybe it was even seconds, that they had experienced, again since Devon.

As he and Shaggy stood frantic outside the gallery waiting for the girls, Velma finally re-emerged, stumbling from the art gallery. With every passing minute, Fred's fears for Daphne had grown; there was no sign of her coming from within the gallery. They raced around the back instead and that's when Fred witnessed the stomach churning scene he had replayed more times then he cared to remember. As they reached the back of the building, they were met with the horrifying sight of Daphne trapped in the arms of the sinister Gondolier.

Fred had broken into a sprint the second he saw them, bursting every blood vessel he possessed as he desperately tried to stop his girlfriend from being violently kidnapped by who they later discovered was far from 'just a thief'. They also didn't know it was him at this stage, but Mario grinned sadistically at him, knowing Fred was just too far away. Smashing his way into a nearby car with his elbow, Mario popped the trunk in seconds and threw Daphne inside, her blood curdling scream the last thing that echoed in Fred's ears as she disappeared from his sight and the lid slammed shut.

He was just a few feet away now but Mario jumped into the driver's seat and peeled away, with Fred agonisingly just mere centimetres away from reaching that trunk.

He was so close.

He almost saved her.

But he didn't.

He carried on running, foolishly trying to reach the accelerating car but with a howl of anguish he had to admit defeat when the distance grew into a vast chasm. Daphne was gone.

This part of the nightmare, of being so close to saving her but ultimately failing had been the recurring part. The details of the time they were without her however, they didn't need replaying in the form of a nightmare, those were imprinted on his brain forever...

S_ix hours._

_Six long torturous hours._

_That's how long Mario had Daphne. It could have been six years, every second she was gone felt like an eternity to Fred._

_After he had finally given up the ghost chasing the car futilely, they all returned back to the Gallery to find a scene of chaos unravelling. The police had eventually arrived, too late to save Daphne, and so Fred had marched right up to them to tell them not only had the 'Ghostly Gondolier' stolen the last amulet but he had also taken an American girl hostage._

_It was obvious who the culprit was, he was conspicuously absent too. _

_Once Fred had got over the police's laughable and ludicrous theory that poor Mario must also have been taken hostage too, he realised very quickly they would be of no help._

_Driven by an urgency he had never felt before, Fred led the gang as they tore into their investigation. They all knew every second counted. It wasn't until they spoke to Mario's old room-mate Antonio, that they realised the true extent of the danger Daphne was really in._

_Antonio, very obviously, had no time for his previously good friend Mario. With trepidation building, Fred had wasted no time asking why._

_Mario Materazzi was the son of a wealthy family with links to Italian aristocracy. Charming and good looking, unsurprisingly he was one of the most popular students at their art school. Himself and Antonio had become fast friends but by the second term, things started to go wrong in a big way and Antonio found himself looking at Mario in a whole new light._

_To Shaggy, Velma and Fred's utter revulsion, Antonio revealed Mario had soon been plagued by a string of allegations. Several girls had come forward to say they had been attacked or sexually assaulted by Mario at parties. To Antonio's intense shame however, both the university and the police were quick to dismiss the claims against Mario. His family were not ones to be trifled with it appeared, and investigations were either mysteriously dropped or if it did get further, the girls themselves had their evidence discredited or smeared by the police and the super lawyers hired to protect Mario. The girls drunkenness was a common excuse used to get the charges quashed. Mario Materazzi quickly became untouchable, Antonio had disgustedly explained._

_Thinking they had heard the worst, Velma tried to excuse them all, seeing Fred turn a frightening shade of purple but Antonio had one final appalling twist to the tale. Whilst Mario's reputation with the ladies on campus had definitely taken a downturn, some still steadfastly refused to believe; 'the girls must have led him on' was a common depressing reply. Things were quiet for a while, Mario had a steady girlfriend, Antonio found a new room-mate; until the campus was rocked by one of the most brutal attacks that had ever taken place._

_Feeling unwell, a young student had left her Christmas party at a nearby restaurant early, as she had returned to campus, she was attacked and dragged into the bushes by a masked man and raped. She was found an hour or so later, hysterical and bleeding. They never caught her attacker. After six months of incompetence and injustice, the poor girl killed herself. Antonio had long suspected it was Mario but he had been provided an alibi._

_That revelation from Antonio had sent a dreadful wave of terror and revulsion convulsing through Fred and he fought to retain the contents of his stomach as Antonio's revelation hit home hard._

_Mario wasn't just a jewel thief, he was almost certainly a dangerous predator and he was alone with Daphne._

_Only Velma and Shaggy had kept Fred sane as every worst case scenario had immediately careened straight through him._

_For Fred's sake, it was a good job that Daphne, although alone as his prisoner, had the best ally on her side, her intelligence. Recognising Mario was a dangerously unhinged individual, she played along to survive. He had driven them to his family's palatial and empty summer house, and after enduring a torrid time in the trunk of the car, she was immediately compliant, offering no resistance as he forced her into the house. _

_He kept her handcuffed in a bedroom while he researched exactly where in the canal system was this secret door the amulets supposedly opened. He chatted to her all the time like she was a willing participant in the conversation, cheerfully admitting he had worn the costume of the once feared Ghostly Gondolier while he searched the canals and recovered each amulet. He also admitted having 'problems' with women but didn't elaborate further. It was probably for the best that Daphne didn't find out the truth until Mario was finally behind bars._

_When he kissed her for the first time, a knife pressed into her stomach, she had fought back tears and tried not to recoil as he forced his lips on hers. Realising struggling was futile and his temper was immense if she tried to repel or forsake him in anyway, she forced herself to show Mario she was on his side. _

_She chatted to him about the amulets, even helping him to figure out exactly where this door was, she made it seem that she was doing all this to help him, when really she was trying to aid her rescue. She had complete faith that Velma would have quickly worked out the puzzle of the amulets too. She was just going to have to bide her time. Mario confessed to her that despite coming from a reasonably financially comfortable family, the supposed paintings that had been hidden within the walls were beyond priceless._

_So priceless in fact, that although he had kissed Daphne, proclaiming she would be his 'queen', when he actually sourced the paintings, to her immense relief, he merely left her locked in the car by the canal side. _

_To _**his**_ overwhelming relief, Fred and the others found her handcuffed to the inner rear door. _

_Daphne assured him she was fine, urging Fred instead, to get to Mario before he used the gondola to escape with the paintings. He dutifully pursued him, catching up with him just in time. Rarely had Fred ever demonstrated violence when they trapped the villains, but with everything they now knew about Mario and his fears of what he could have done to Daphne, his rage had built up considerably._

_Seeing Mario's smirking face, after he saw they had rescued Daphne, Fred smashed his fist into Mario's face, sending him reeling backwards before calmly walking away, as the police moved in to arrest him at long last._

Of course Fred never dreamed of the rescue, it wouldn't be much of a nightmare if he dreamed of the happiest moments. Something about this dream was different this time though and he tossed and turned restlessly in his seat now as he saw himself in those canal tunnels once again.

It was dark, even darker than he remembered from that night. He also seemed to be alone, and his dream self called out in confusion, "Shaggy? Velma, Scooby Doo, where are you?"

But there was no reply. His voice echoed eerily in the tunnel, bouncing back off the walls and he pushed his way further down the canal tunnel into the inky blackness. Everything in Fred's brain was screaming something was seriously wrong here but his dream self continued obliviously. This Fred seemed tougher, darker, and Fred jolted in his sleep when he realised the dream version of himself was carrying a gun. A rat scuttled out of the tunnel and Fred didn't flinch, moving quicker. Finally he saw a shadow and without hesitation, he called out Mario's name. Mario was bent over something he couldn't see, and he turned half in shadow, half in light, smirking when he saw who it was.

"Oh Fred, she told me, you would come, told me that you loved her. I wonder if she was thinking of you when she was under me in my bed?"

Fred's unconscious grip of the armrest was matched by the grip of Fred's hold on the gun.

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Mario grinned. "I could have done anything I wanted and there's nothing you could have done to stop me."

"You're a sick son of a bitch."

"So I've been told, your lovely Daphne, well she was the finest of them all, her touch, her taste, a true beauty."

"Stop it."

"So you're here to rescue her?" Mario taunted as he got up from the floor, "Her brave hero..."

Fred pointed the gun towards him, shuffling steps closer, as Mario moved away he could start to see something that was behind him, that his body had previously concealed.

As he continued to inch closer to Mario, Mario stepped further away, a strange look on his face now. "Fred Jones, the fearless leader of the gang. She screamed your name you know? She wouldn't stop saying your fucking name in fact. It's the reason why I had to..." he shrugged and moved into the light, allowing Fred to fully glimpse what was behind him.

At the water's edge was a dark shape, and it took him a long time for Fred to realise it was Mario's cape. It looked odd, like it was draped over something, something that was partially in the water. He frowned trying to take a closer look, discern something else in the blackness when something caught his eye that took his very breath away. A flash of red, in the water.

_A face. Submerged in the water._

Mario laughed hollowly at Fred's despair, "you see you're...just...too...late."

Fred barged past him, the vision of Daphne floating face down in the water all too clear now.

"No, no, no, no!," he screamed, dropping to his knees as he scooped her lifeless body from the water, Mario's words echoing manically in his head.

"_Too late Freddy, you were just too late..."_

"No!" Fred screamed, "I wasn't too late! I saved her, you bastard!"

He awakened with a start, his arms gripping the armrests ferociously, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead. He took in gaspfuls of air and then looked around. He knew straight away he had at least screamed that last part out loud.

Every passenger in his row had turned to stare at him open-mouthed in alarm including Dorothy, he stared back at her, struggling to recover from the nightmare and despite her obvious fear at the young man's outburst, she reached a hand over and gently held his arm.

"Fred, are you OK?"

Fred had had nightmares before, plenty of them but never like that, it felt so real. He knew instinctively why he had dreamed of the Venice case again now. He had dreamed of it many times but as if the real life nightmare wasn't terrifying enough, his dream version had now added the most devastating twist. It exploited his worst fears. Losing Daphne. Worse, not being able to save Daphne. Heading to Hong Kong, potentially tussling with Devon again in Coolsville eventually, he knew losing her, this was what he feared the most.

He unbuckled his seat belt quickly, his fingers still moist with sweat. He smiled at Dorothy as he squeezed past her. "Sure, I just need a moment."

He scrambled down the aisle, passengers giving him more than a curious stare as he passed and he knew he must look a wreck but he had to see her. He had to know.

He mentally counted the rows in his head, trying to remember her precise seat number, closer, closer, closer.

_There._

He breathed an enormous sigh of relief. She was there, she was safe. Curled up in her sleep, eye mask on, hair fanning over her face, chest rising and falling. Peaceful. _Beautiful._

He stared at her with a contented smile on his face. He_ had_ saved her that night. He would keep her safe in Hong Kong.

"Ahem," an air hostess sighed, eyebrow cocked at him, and he quickly realised how it must look.

"Oh no, it's OK because she's my girlfriend, you see," he replied lamely.

"Sure thing. Sir could you take your seat please, we're experiencing a little turbulence."

On cue, the plane lurched sideways, knocking Fred and the girl off their feet. He staggered back down the aisle and into his seat, fastening his seat belt tightly.

Dorothy looked a little frightened and he grabbed her hand in re-assurance.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything is just fine," he replied, sounding more contented then he truly was.

**To be continued**


	6. Chat and Nightmares at 30,000 ft: Part 2

_**Author's Note**_** – Before we conclude this two part chapter an important correction to make:**

**Having read back the last couple of chapters before editing some future storylines, I have only just picked up on an important clarification.**

**Hong Kong is obviously in China NOT Japan.**

**I can only think I was perhaps mixing up Hong Kong and Tokyo as cities initially and can only apologise for this error.**

**For later storyline purposes, that will eventually become clear, the setting does need to be in Hong Kong so please disregard the previous many (!) incorrect references to visiting Japan. The Fred, Daphne and Ethan portions of the story are very much taking part in CHINA.**

**Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy the story that is unfolding.**

* * *

_Daphne and Fred- Philippines Airlines Flight to Hong Kong via Manila_

Daphne jolted awake as she felt the plane shake.

_Ladies and gentlemen, we are just experiencing a little bit of turbulence, please remain seated until further announcements, thank you._

She hated turbulence at the best of times but felt even more unsettled without Fred, or anyone she knew by her side to reassure her.

_It's perfectly normal, _she assured herself, holding on tightly to the armrests. There was a couple more violent shakes and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing it be over and then mercifully it was. The plane started travelling smoothly again and after a few minutes, the seat belt release sign pinged back on and she sighed in relief.

After a quick visit to the bathroom, she settled herself back into her seat, propping up her travel pillow. She had slept in fits and starts so far but nothing of any great quality, she reclined the seat slightly, slipped on her eye mask and soon found herself drifting peacefully to sleep.

Unfortunately, she too soon found herself in the grip of a nightmare though she didn't realise this straight away. She wasn't dreaming of Fred or of Ethan or anything that made any sense at first.

She found herself in bright sunshine in a courtyard, standing in front of a single, unremarkable looking door. There didn't seem to be anywhere else to go, so with some trepidation she reached forward to open the door and stepped forward, the door shutting behind her and immediately plunging her into darkness.

She called out uncertainly, trying to swallow her fears.

"Is anybody there?"

She was met in response by only the sound of someone gently sobbing, and she hurried towards the noise.

"Hello?"

As she got nearer, she finally saw the female figure, bathed in a sudden pool of light, on the floor. She was sitting slumped against the wall, still crying but she didn't seem hurt.

The girl was young, maybe only around 17 or 18, with flaming red hair, similar to her own, a green scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck.

At first, Daphne thought she might have been looking at a manifestation of her younger self, the girl's features were so similar. As she touched the girl's shoulder gently and took a closer look at her face, she gasped as she realised exactly who the girl was.

"Adelaide," she whispered and the girl stopped crying immediately.

"Daphne Ann Blake," the girl sneered. "My very unfortunate look-a-like."

"Adelaide, I'm so sorry," Daphne stroked her face, and Adelaide's scarf fell away, revealing the dark bruises from the grip around her throat.

The cause of her death.

Daphne tried not to look at the bruising, she could see now Adelaide's face was pale, ghostly.

"I died just because I looked like you, how unfair is that? He wrapped his hands around my throat and choked me and I didn't stand a chance. You know, I always loved my hair, never thought it would be the feature that would lead to me being murdered."

"Adelaide, you didn't deserve to die."

"I didn't deserve to die Daphne, you're right. I had my whole future ahead of me and yet I DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!"

As clearly as she was once sat there, Adelaide suddenly vanished, the light over her, blinking out, leaving a stunned Daphne in darkness once again.

She stumbled to her feet, struggling to recover from the ghostly encounter. She had barely had a second to reflect on it before she heard the sound of a man groaning in pain.

She carried on falteringly down the pitch dark tunnel, with the groans getting louder still, until she found the source of the moans.

Another beam of light switched on, nearly blinding her and enveloping the struggling man underneath in a pure white light. He was soaked in blood, crimson staining a white shirt and sweat was plastered to his face and hair, he was struggling to breathe.

Daphne flew down by his side, her only instinct to try and stem the atrocious bleeding to his abdomen.

"Oh god Will."

The Detective was dying, slowly bleeding out and Daphne realised there was very little she could do, she held his hand.

"Daphne?" Will gasped. "Why are you here?"

Through her own tears, Daphne tried to comfort him. "Shhh don't try to speak."

"You're too late Daphne, you're always too late."

Will coughed up a little blood then but Daphne didn't miss the change in his tone of voice.

Accusatory.

"What?"

"Well this," he gestured at his bloody shirt. "It's all your fault isn't it? I'm dying, or probably even dead already, and it's all because of you."

"Will..." Daphne reeled brokenly in shock. "What do you mean?"

"Your pseudo father...you had the chance to end all this a long time ago didn't you? You could have taken him out."

At first she didn't understand, what Will was saying didn't make any sense, but she soon realised the moment he was referring to.

The factory. She had Devon at gunpoint. Long before Shag and Velma appeared on the scene. Yes, she _could_ have killed him but she didn't because he had...

"Fred," she whispered. "He had my Freddy."

"Exactly," Will bemoaned with a slight chuckle. "You could have killed him but instead you hesitated and all to save one man. One man over the lives of so many others."

"No! It wasn't like that."

"Wasn't it? You let Devon live to save your beau and because of that decision, look at the evil he has become, how many more innocent people are going to die Daphne?"

Daphne was distraught now. "It's my fault?"

Will nodded grimly. "Your fault. My daughter will grow up without a father because of you."

He coughed up blood and his eyes closed and then he too faded away like he was never really there, leaving Daphne to stare in horror at her blood covered hands.

"It's all my fault," she repeated brokenly to herself. "It's all my fault..."

She awoke then, quite peacefully but with her heart still racing. She had never once dreamed of Adelaide McKenna before, the poor girl who had been murdered in her place.

For that alone she felt incredible guilt.

_Guilt._

Her nightmare had been plagued with it.

Adelaide, Will, or that manifestation of Will anyway, they weren't wrong; it was her fault. It was why she was even more determined to put everything right in Coolsville. After their little detour to China of course.

She peeled off her sleep mask and took slow, calming deep breaths. The innocent blood on her hands, it was all symbolic.

She reminded herself it wasn't real, it couldn't be real. They didn't yet know what had happened to Detective Barnum. She fervently hoped he wasn't dead. And as for what 'Will' had said to her; he couldn't _possibly_ have known that.

The only people who were in that room that night were herself and Devon. She had never even told Fred that she sacrificed a chance to kill Devon to try and save him.

She hadn't told Shaggy or Velma, nor Ethan or Stella and so certainly not Will. Nobody knew.

The only person who could beat Daphne up about that decision was herself, her own subconscious.

She was surprised to hear an announcement about landing in Manila, breaking her from her thoughts and she realised that in addition to the nightmare, she must also have managed some quality sleep as they had now completed the first leg of their journey.

Grateful to soon be out of the small space, she quickly gathered her things and joined the rush to the exit, hoping to catch up with Fred, who she assumed would have already left the plane.

She moved as quickly as she could, trying to catch sight of him ahead of her, amongst the throng of passengers on the tarmac. She frowned in confusion when she couldn't see him.

"Daph!"

The shout came from behind her and she lifted her hand to shield her eyes and was rewarded with the sight of Fred waving, only just ready to descend the front staircase. He was moving haltingly down the steps, which had her very confused at first but her heart melted when she saw the reason why.

Gingerly clinging to his elbow, carefully watching her step was a tiny gray-haired old lady. Fred had clasped his own arm over hers as he gently guided her down the steps. When they reached the bottom, he still didn't let go until he was absolutely sure she was OK. When he finally did look up, he saw Daphne watching with a wistful smile on her lips.

"Daphne," he beamed, introducing his adorable companion. "This is Dorothy."

"Oh darling," Dorothy exclaimed, reaching out for Daphne's hand. " What a dear sweet boy you have. You'll want to keep good hold of this one," she winked. "He's special."

"Yes," Daphne replied, staring at him lovingly and kissing his cheek as Dorothy finally released his arm. "Yes, he is."

_He was a man worth saving._

* * *

_Shaggy and Velma – Hawaiian Airlines Flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles_.

He'd delivered that ultimatum as fiercely as he could, but he never believed she would actually respond to it in kind.

She sniffled, attempting to compose herself, and placed her own hand over the top of his.

"Okay Shaggy, you're right, you deserve the truth, I want you to know the real me," she started, staring at his knuckles. "I've decided I'm going to tell you everything. But please could you let me finish? All I ask is that you don't interrupt no matter how much you are probably going to want to."

"Okay."

She nodded, taking a final steadying intake of breath and held it for a few seconds before exhaling again, feeling calm and ready now, she gave him unwavering eye contact as she spoke.

"To really know me, you have to my know my family, and I have hidden away the truth to protect them for so long. I have a sister, her name is Madelyn and I love her dearly. She's sixteen now, but she's sick Shaggy."

Velma could feel herself becoming tearful already as she thought about Madelyn.

"She's _really_ sick, she has been since birth. So everything I do, I do for her. That night we met, I didn't lie to you, and the only reason I left you and Fred in such a precarious position and took that money, was for her."

It completely floored Shaggy to find out what he thought was just a convenient sob story she had spun to manipulate himself and Fred, was actually real this whole time. He found himself slipping an arm around her shoulder, she did not protest as she continued with a tearful smile on her face.

"Madelyn is beautiful, so bright and bubbly, she is the best of us. But, without treatment, it's unlikely she will live to see her 21st birthday. There is the potential for her to be saved, to be cured but not without a substantial amount of money. Money that makes the generous reward money we get from our work look like chicken feed. Nevertheless though, every penny I've earned legitimately, or sadly less so, I've saved for her.

I know what you're thinking, I can see it in your face, what happened to the Dinkley fortune?"

"I didn't know too much about you at high school but everyone knew about your father and his brilliant inventions. It was why I was so shocked when Fred and I first ran up against you, I couldn't understand why someone like you was turning to such desperate measures."

Velma nodded again, the emotion she had felt talking about Madelyn, already turning to anger now and she unintentionally squeezed his hand painfully causing him to gasp.

"Because we lost_ everything._ And all because of two people," she seethed, her voice dripping with scorn as she spat out their names. "George Wisely and his son, Patrick.

My father met George at a convention when he offered to buy a couple of dad's inventions. He did and my dad was thrilled, sometimes it could take a long time before anyone was interested in his inventions and this guy had bought two. My father was so grateful and overwhelmed by the money received, that he broke his own promise of not telling outsiders about Madelyn's condition.

George was completely moved by Madelyn's story, he vowed he was going to help her. It started with a generous donation to her treatment fund but George wanted more. He proposed a way to make enough money to help us reach our goal of raising enough money for the treatment long before her sixteenth birthday. George was a wealthy businessman, dad a talented inventor, why not go into business together?

Dad was so wary, he had always done things on his own but George was completely charming in every way, he promised him the world. If dad could make the inventions, he would provide the clients, they would share the profits. It sounded too good to be true but slowly but surely he convinced him. It was George; George who had already paid a significant sum into Madelyn's fund, we could all trust George right?" she said scornfully.

"Velma, you don't have to go in to details if you don't want to, I think I'm getting the picture where this is going..."

She glared at him in response and he remembered his promise, holding his hands up in apology and indicated her to to continue.

"And Patrick. Saint fucking Patrick, how could _anyone _doubt Saint Patrick? Not least me. Boy, he had me fooled.

I was almost sixteen when George decided to introduce his perfect son and how could I not be smitten? He could charm the pants off anyone and I soon found myself besotted with him. Patrick was a little bit older, attractive in a geeky way and fully took after his father in the charm stakes. Between them both, they schmoozed myself and my father for over a year, on the charm offensive of a lifetime.

Dad poured everything he had into their new business venture, his heart, his soul and his money and I fell head over heels in love with Patrick. Saint Patrick even helped set up a separate special fund for Madelyn. We had never wanted people to know about Madelyn,we never wanted people's pity, people's handouts, we had never told anyone how sick she really was but Patrick convinced me of a way we could do it without looking desperate. He masterminded a series of high profile events to raise more money, fancy dinners, charity races, it was a huge success and Madelyn adored him. So did I. Everything was perfect.

Until it wasn't.

Until George and Patrick were exposed for the shameful conmen they were. By then it was too late. George and Patrick had fled with the money. Turns out they weren't even father and son, just an incredibly sophisticated pair of scam artists. The day they ran, they cleaned out the charity fund for Madelyn and the joint business with dad. George had handled all the admin side of things registering the business, doing the banking. He was experienced, it made sense but, the business was never even registered. Those two despicable imposters had taken _everything._ All the money raised for Maddy so far, my dad's _entire_ life savings. They left us with nothing."

Shaggy felt a wave of anger instantly run through him on Velma's behalf, how dare these scumbags do that to her and her family!

"Velma I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say."

"The worst thing was, they waited until we had nearly raised enough for the treatment and then that was the point they split. Patrick actually told my sister she was going to get her treatment, the bastard, and then he did that. Can you _imagine _how difficult that conversation was Shaggy? To have to tell my sister she wasn't going to get the treatment after all.

She was so brave bless her, but I know how disappointed she really was, he allowed her to get her hopes up.

Patrick took my heart and stamped on it but it's how his actions impacted Madelyn that has left me with a whole load of fucked up trust issues.

I didn't even see it coming, I opened my whole heart to him, he was the perfect gentleman, he didn't just win _me_ over, he won over my whole family and then betrayed us ALL in the most horrifying way imaginable. His final flourish though?"

Shaggy swallowed, how much worse could this horrific story possibly get?

"The night before he fled, after we had told Madelyn we had enough money for the treatment, I finally gave myself to him, body and soul, and he told me loved him. I went to sleep in his arms feeling completely contented, when I woke the next morning he was gone. For good."

She was sobbing now and Shaggy held her close, not caring if anyone was looking. He stroked her hair. He had never thought he could hate anyone as much as he hated Devon but even though he had never met him, Patrick was already tying for first place in his mind.

"That horrible, horrible bastard," he seethed. "Did anyone ever manage to find them?"

"No. I looked, believe me I looked but they vanished without a trace. Probably onto the next pair of suckers they could fleece.

My father was so ashamed he had been manipulated in this way, they took his money, his inventions, everything. I felt sick to the core but we had to put a brave face on for Madelyn. We told her the treatment had been cancelled but nothing else. She asked about Patrick but eventually over time she forgot about him. Devastated by the betrayal, my dad devoted the rest of his time to caring for Madelyn and I set about repairing the damage they had done, I found a way to use my talents to raise funds in a very different way."

"That's when you became a criminal," Shaggy noted.

"I wasn't proud about it, but my experience with Patrick, it desensitised me. I realised very quickly that I was good at it, stealing things to sell on. We were back to rock bottom financially but it kept us ticking over, kept a roof over our heads. Dad never questioned where the money came from, I think deep down he knew, but our need was too desperate now.

And it was that desperation that led me to saying yes to Fred's crazy kidnapping proposal," she paused, smiling a little now. "A decision that had such long standing ramifications on my life. There were a lot of bumps along the road but it changed the trajectory, it really did turn my life around.

Now, every bit of money I give to dad for Maddy, has been _earned_ and slowly but surely the pot has been growing again. It will take a while but we'll get there, I know we will.

So that's it, that's my story, I know it was a long time in the making and believe me I've wanted to tell you many times before now it's just that..."

Shaggy stopped her, placing both hands on her cheeks before kissing her very softly.

Surprised, she didn't respond at first, but then with tears streaming down both cheeks she relished the feel of his mouth on hers again for those magical few seconds.

He pulled away, his thumbs clumsily wiping away her tears before he again held her face in his hands, he looked her deeply in the eye.

"You are an incredible woman Velma Dinkley," he declared, causing her to tear up again. He kissed her on the forehead. "I want you to know I will _always_ be here for you no matter what. I've got your back for life."

She closed her eyes, welcoming the chance to snuggle into his embrace.

"Thank you Shaggy," she whispered.

Shaggy hugged her even more tightly.

* * *

They spent the rest of the flight in quiet companionship, with either or both occasionally dozing off, but with Velma always wrapped in Shaggy's embrace. When the time came to leave the plane as they landed in Los Angeles, Shaggy led her off by the hand, feeling a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

Their relationship was not suddenly going to change overnight and he knew there would be time for further discussion about where this left them as a couple, but at least he understood now. Her cagey evasiveness, her bailing out on him as they got closer, it all made perfect sense, she had had her heart broken in the most brutal way imaginable; if he was ever fortunate enough to cross paths with this Patrick, he knew he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.

They walked together through the busy airport, eager to be reunited with Scooby. Once again, they were confronted by news reports of what had happened in Coolsville, which they tried to ignore but the headlines were damning and unavoidable. Shaggy squeezed Velma's hand tightly, knowing she too had seen it.

_Latest confirmation is now 12 dead._

Velma's stomach recoiled in horror. _Twelve. _She knew Shaggy would undoubtedly be thinking the same thing; _were Stella and Will among them?_

They walked hand in hand to collect Scooby who was beyond delighted to be freed from his crate. He wagged his tail joyfully when he saw Shaggy and Velma, and raced to his master's side, skidding to a halt just before his feet when he saw Velma's hand clasped tightly in Shaggy's. Already happy to have his freedom again, he was even more thrilled at this development, given the frosty atmosphere that had marked their departure in Hawaii.

He waited until most other passengers had gone before raising his eyebrows comically at the couple.

"Rar rou rack rogether?!" he asked hopefully.

Velma blushed and Shaggy smiled before replying.

"No Scoob, we're not actually back together," he confirmed, "but we are...we're..." he looked to Velma for some help.

"We're good," she replied contentedly. "We're good Scooby," she smiled up at Shaggy who beamed in response.

The three of them headed for the exit, immediately met with an icy blast of cold air as the automatic doors opened. Shaggy was grateful he had the foresight to wear pants in preparation for the cooler California air.

"Man, I miss Hawaii," he complained as they took their place in the huge queue for taxi's.

"Re roo," Scooby whined, shivering against the cold.

It took a long while to get to the front and even when they did, they faced further problems. Most of the cabs that pulled in took one look at Scooby and shook their head firmly, indicating Velma and Shaggy to step aside for the next set of dog-free passengers. It wasn't uncommon; because of Scooby's size, many cabs refused to take him, it's why they rarely used them.

After allowing about seven set of passengers ahead of them, finally a cab pulled in and nodded his confirmation he would take Scooby in his car.

"I can take you guys, but it's gonna cost you extra for the mutt okay?"

Scooby's nostrils flared, M_utt! How rude!_

But Shaggy was already gratefully opening the door to get Velma inside, only too aware of how cold she was.

"Thanks man!" Shaggy said as he and Scooby climbed in too.

"Sure, no problem, where to kids?" the cabbie smiled as they departed.

"Coolsville," Velma said, and watched his expression in the mirror visibly change.

"Oh kids I'm sorry, we're not allowed to take anyone into Coolsville today."

"Seriously?" Shaggy asked.

"Seriously, after what happened and with the curfew in place, my bosses are not taking any fares to Coolsville."

"The curfew?" Velma asked him in confusion.

"We've been out of town for a while," Shaggy explained at the cabbie's skeptical look at them in the mirror.

"Ah. Well yeah, even before the bombing there was a curfew in place, we were cutting down on fares in and out anyway, after that, my bosses imposed a blanket ban, no fares to Coolsville, sorry about that."

"It's okay, just drop us back at the pick-up, we could try our luck with other companies."

The cabbie nodded and prepared to turn around when an idea struck him. "Hey, is Oakland bus station any good for you? I'm happy to take you as far as there and then you should still be able to get a bus back to Coolsville. As far as I know they haven't pulled public transport out, yet just private ones?"

"Thank you, that would be perfect," Shaggy replied, knowing it was anything but, taking Scooby on a Greyhound was never his idea of fun but he knew beggars couldn't be choosers right now.

They arrived at Oakland bus depot just as it was beginning to turn dark and Shaggy paid the driver, with a generous tip for taking Scooby.

"Good luck kids," he said cheerfully as he drove back towards L.A.

Shaggy, Velma and Scooby made their way wearily to the front desk of the mostly empty bus station.

They got to the window, where the bored-looking woman acknowledged them with a sigh.

"Yes?"

"We need two tickets and a pet pass for Coolsville please," Shaggy asked politely.

The woman's eyes bugged out a little, before she snorted in derision.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, we're serious, is a pet pass for our dog really that much of a problem?" Velma asked annoyed.

"Honey," the woman smirked, "it's not your dog that's the problem, it's your_ destination_."

"Are buses no longer calling at Coolsville?"

"Oh no honey, we're still offering services to Coolsville for the time being but no one's really taking us up on it. Are you sure that's where you want to go?"

The woman's derisive attitude had now turned into something approaching concern.

"Yes, we're sure," Shaggy confirmed. "Is there a bus soon?"

"Sure, there's a bus that leaves in about fifteen minutes if you're really set on going, pretty sure you'll be the only passengers though."

She sold them the tickets and they walked to the completely deserted bus stand where the Greyhound marked 'Coolsville' stood, engine idling.

"Wow, she wasn't joking was she," Velma commented as they approached the bus.

The driver put down his newspaper in surprise at the incoming passengers, but hopped down to help them with their luggage.

"Really didn't think I'd see anyone for this service," he said, but let them board without further comment.

Shaggy took the opportunity to stretch out on a double seat to himself while Scooby lay across another.

Velma sat up looking out the window, feeling incredibly uneasy about both the cabbie and the bus station attendant's reaction on hearing they wanted to travel to Coolsville. Had it already become that much of a 'no go zone?' Were things really that bad? The cabbie had said there was a curfew in place.

"God I miss the van," Shaggy commented as he struggled to get comfortable on the bus. "I can't wait to be reunited with her when we get back."

Velma smiled at the pronoun, she too couldn't wait to be back in the Mystery Machine again.

She rested her head against the window, dozing a little until both Shaggy and the driver made her sit up in alarm.

"Woah," Shaggy exclaimed loudly and the driver also let out a low whistle.

"Gosh, would you look at that," he commented and Velma snapped to attention to do just that.

She knew from the sight of some familiar buildings they were fast approaching the Coolsville boundary line now and as they did, lights suddenly filled the opposite side of the road and her eyes widened.

As far as the eye could see, a line of traffic snaked along the road, unmoving, bumper to bumper, rear-view lights lit up, headed in only one direction.

Out of Coolsville.

As the bus continued along the empty carriageway towards Coolsville, Velma and Shaggy nervously eyed the occupants of cars facing away from their town. Many had suitcases strapped to the top of the cars, it was like a scene from a zombie apocalypse or some other disaster movie.

"Phew," the driver shouted to them, "that is _some_ exodus, are you sure you kids want to go in? I'm going straight back to Oakland after I've picked up. Heard we might be pulling out of Coolsville by tomorrow morning."

"We're going in," Velma declared and the driver nodded.

They all peered out the window as they finally entered the town, it was eerie how deserted the streets were. It was early evening, but even the darkened nights didn't normally deter children being out playing at this time, but the basketball courts were empty. The traffic normally atrocious at this time was almost non-existent. Nobody was walking the streets.

The Greyhound rattled along, Velma and Shaggy's sense of foreboding increasing, they pulled into the station and gathered their belongings ready to get off. As they descended the final step, his hand found hers again in reassurance.

"Oh wow," she murmured.

In front of them, almost as long as the queue of cars leaving the town boundaries, was a huge queue of people waiting desperately for the bus to take them out of Coolsville.

As they passed the line, the only people walking _into_ the bus station, they were met with stares and hostility.

"Are you insane!?" Someone shouted out, causing Shaggy to flinch.

"If the cops can't protect us, what hope do we even have?" shouted another.

"Coolsville is gone, it's lost." A woman with a little boy in tow declared desolately. "That's why I'm getting out, you would be wise to as well."

"It's not lost," Velma muttered as they passed but the woman still heard.

She laughed in scorn, "Really? It's not? And who's going to save it now, _you_?"

Her little boy had been clinging to his mum's legs and suddenly looked up at Shaggy, Velma and Scooby as they passed, his little face suddenly breaking out in a grin.

He chased after them, causing his mum to scream in alarm.

"Archie! Come back here this instant Archie!" she shouted as she scrambled after him.

Archie tugged at the bottom of Shaggy's T-shirt, "excuse me mister!" he said animatedly.

Shaggy gave him his full attention as his mum scooped him into her arms.

"It is you!" Archie said, his eyes shining in excitement. "I knew it was you! Mom, it's them, it's Mystery Inc! They're back!"

His mom regarded Shaggy and Velma coolly, they had become something of local celebrities so it wasn't too much of a surprise that they had been recognised.

"Oh yes, I see," she said. "Nice of you to show your faces at last...well some of you anyway," she sniffed, noting the absence of the other two members.

Archie squirmed free of his mother's grasp again to hug Shaggy, looking up at him with hope all over his little face.

"Please save Coolsville," he pleaded, "you've got to save Coolsville. I know you can do it!"

Both Velma and Shaggy were visibly moved by little Archie's pleas and his mother softened a little, as she took his hand again.

"You're pretty much his heroes," she explained. "You guys are like real life superheroes for him, he used to keep a scrapbook of all your adventures, he was pretty crushed when you left."

She ushered him away then, seeing the line move along, leaving Velma and Shaggy struggling with their emotions.

"I had no idea we had had such an impact," he said with a little bit of pride in his voice.

"The whole town seems to be evacuating," Velma commented, "how could we even think we will able to help?"

"Come on Velma," Shaggy said, taking her hand once again. "You heard little Archie, we're Mystery Inc."

"This is like nothing we've ever faced before, we don't know what we're letting ourselves in for, plus there's only us three."

"Velma you are anything but defeatist, I'm supposed to be the 'fraidy cat'."

"And are you? Afraid I mean?"

"I'm absolutely pooping my pants Velma," Shaggy admitted, his puerile choice of language causing Scooby to snigger and Velma to smile. "But you heard Archie," he said, as they passed under the '_Welcome to Coolsville' _sign. "We've got a town to save."


	7. Lovers and Danger in a Foreign Land

It was approaching midday when Daphne and Fred's plane finally landed in Hong Kong after a lengthy layover in Manila. They had both managed to get a little more sleep during the layover and on the final flight into Hong Kong but both had also been indefinitely shaken by their respective nightmares. There was a nervous tension between them and neither were quite sure how to respond to it.

As they were reunited again and were making their way through security and immigration, they made polite chit chat about the flight as if they were just mere colleagues on a business trip.

"Did you sleep OK?" Fred asked her. "I can't imagine you enjoyed that little bit of turbulence on the way into Manila?"

"No, definitely not, but it was over with fairly quickly so I was fine, I got loads of sleep actually. How about you?"

"Yeah, same. It was a quiet plane, no screaming babies or anything crazy for once, so, I just slept too."

They smiled at one another but remained incredibly guarded. Fred just couldn't bring himself to tell Daphne about his nightmare of losing her, and Daphne didn't want to discuss her guilt about Adelaide and Will.

Instead, she suppressed a yawn as they waited in baggage claim.

They stood together silently now, watching diligently as the luggage tediously cycled through. Eventually, Daphne spotted her eye-catching purple suitcases, and Fred lunged forward to lug them off before setting them neatly by Daphne's side.

"You packed lightly again I see," he teased her at the substantial weight of them.

"Options Fred, options," she replied with a small smile before stifling another yawn. "Whew, jet lag is hitting hard this time," she complained.

As the luggage continued to cycle through with no sign of Fred's shiny black cases, he shifted his weight from foot to foot in growing agitation. Where the hell was his luggage?

He felt a sheen of sweat develop on his forehead, as more and more cases passed by on the carousel that were not his.

"I don't think my cases are there," he muttered.

"They'll turn up in a second, just be patient," Daphne encouraged.

"Yeah I'm sure they'll be here in a moment," he agreed, trying to sound calm but Daphne could tell he was rattled.

But as the people stood beside them waiting for their luggage dwindled, and everyone else was being rapidly reunited with their belongings, Fred became even more outwardly stressed.

"They're not here Daphne, how could they possibly be lost?! Oh god what if they're somehow still in Manila?!"

"Fred, it's okay don't panic, I'm sure they'll turn up, and even if they don't, they're just clothes right? I can buy you some stuff in Hong Kong."

"No Daphne! It's not okay!" Fred was going a little red in the face now and this alarmed Daphne. "They're not _just_ clothes!"

"Babe, I told you it's fine, we'll manage, don't worry," she said stroking his arm.

"You don't understand!" He was visibly sweating now, perhaps on the verge of hyperventilating. "I _need_ that luggage Daph! If I don't get it..."

"Hey, aren't they them?" Daphne suddenly interrupted his mini breakdown, and pointed at a baggage handler who had emerged from the back with a couple of black shiny cases, Fred's reaction to this was quite astounding.

The man was already uttering his apologies as Fred hurried towards him.

"My apologies sir! They fell off the truck, but I assure you...no damage done. You have my..."

The man was utterly startled as the blond now reached him, fearing the worst but he grabbed him into a bear hug.

"Thank you."

"Um, it is our pleasure sir," he managed to stammer out after the American released him and was then presented with his suitcases.

Daphne watched the scene with astonishment; though Fred had a handful of expensive suits and some high label stuff, he had never been one to be that bothered by _any _kind of material possessions let alone clothing.

"What the hell was that about?" She asked in amusement a few minutes later when they were in a taxi on their way to the hotel; their luggage stowed safely in the back.

"Hmm?" He had been looking out the window at the hustle and bustle of the fast-paced city as the taxi whizzed down the road. He turned around to face her, and found her lips pursed, expecting an answer. He feigned ignorance.

"Oh, the luggage thing you mean?"

Daphne nodded. "That handler was pretty freaked out. I've never seen you get so worked up about your clothes before Fred."

Fred thought about the panic that had coursed through him when he feared the ring was lost forever and he forced himself to smile at her.

"I just couldn't bear the hassle! You remember how long it took to get a decent pair of pants to fit, the last time we were here?"

Daphne laughed aloud then, remembering the mishap that forced herself and Fred to go on the shopping trip from hell when they all visited Ethan here last summer.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there." She grabbed his hand earnestly. "Thank you for coming with me Fred, especially with everything that's going on back home right now, I would have understood if you hadn't."

"Are you kidding? I would never let you come alone, you know that."

The car continued to rattle along, the Hong Kong business district flashing by in the blink of an eye. As they arrived outside their hotel, Fred was grateful to be out of the taxi, feeling a bout of motion sickness from the speed of the journey.

Daphne had checked them into a palatial suite, and he gratefully closed the door on the hustle and bustle of the rest of the hotel, and the windows blocked out the sounds of the fast paced Hong Kong life going on around them.

"It never ceases to amaze me how fast life is here," he commented, standing in awe before the huge, floor to ceiling windows, looking out at the expeditiously moving city below. "Compared to Coolsville, everything is done like a 100 times quicker."

Daphne came and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, she had already discarded her purple leather jacket and heels and was now stood in a thin sheer blouse and black denim skirt. She pressed a button on the remote in her hand and immediately blackout blinds descended from the ceiling, turning early afternoon into immediate darkness.

She nuzzled against his neck, kissing the skin lightly, being extra careful where the bruises from his encounter with Koi still remained. She pressed herself into his back and Fred was acutely aware of her breasts, nipples hardening against his jumper and he swallowed a moan of desire.

He turned around, his own need strengthening, he cupped her face, pushing his tongue into her mouth. Daphne's hand went to the back of his head, caressing his hair. Fred's fingers quickly worked the buttons of her blouse, the filmy material falling away carelessly to the floor. Daphne unbuttoned and slid out of her skirt and pantyhose herself so she was standing, shivering a little, in just her underwear. She helped him lift off his jumper, unclipped her bra, and he picked her up, her lithe legs wrapping around his waist. Fred carried her to the impressively sized bed, still kissing her furiously, her loose hair tickling his chest a little.

He set her down delicately, covering her with his own body, he watched her eyes pool with desire, and he found his own body responding in kind.

As she wriggled underneath him in delicious anticipation with a smile on her face, he had a sudden unwelcome flash of his nightmare again from earlier and Mario Materazzi's leering face appeared instead of Daphne's.

_I wonder if she was thinking of you, when she was underneath me?_

He gasped and sat up off Daphne sharply, she too shot up in alarm, wrapping the covers around her now naked upper torso.

"Fred?"

He turned away from her, his face ashen and she touched his shoulder gently.

"I can't," he whispered, unable to look at her. "I'm sorry, I can't..."

Daphne rubbed his shoulders, whispering that it was fine but if he could have seen her face, he would have seen the confusion and hurt in her eyes.

She didn't ask him why, she didn't want to know.

He lay back down on the covers behind her, partially clothed and pulled her in close, spooning her against his stomach.

"I think I'm just tired," he said into her ear, stroking her hair.

"It's okay," she assured him. "I understand."

If Fred could have seen her face and the hot wet tears landing on her pillow as she faced the wall, he would have realised she really didn't.

* * *

Despite the fact it was only just early evening when they went to bed, both Daphne and Fred then slept for a near 15 hours as they recovered from their lengthy journey from Hawaii. It was now 8 am and after enjoying a selection of toasts and croissants in bed, they both knew it was time to get down to the grim business of why they were there.

Fred located the remote to open the blinds while Daphne grabbed the first shower, and grimaced in annoyance when he saw the rain hitting the window pane with a vengeance.

He watched fascinated as people hurried about their business down below. They scurried along on their way to work or school, the rain barely seemed to faze them as they continued their furious pace, shielded only by umbrellas. He found himself thinking about Ethan, and the passion with which he had spoken of his love for this city repeatedly. Had he been lost to the city he so adored?

Daphne emerged from the shower, a fluffy bathrobe wrapped around herself, her hair damp and loose about her shoulders. She too expressed an annoyance about the rain as he passed her, on his way to the shower. He leaned in to kiss her, keen to show there was no lingering tension after what happened last night.

"The shower's amazing," she murmured, offering only her cheek to his immense disappointment. He closed the bathroom door and she sat on the bed to blow dry her hair, unable to forget the way he had rejected her last night. It was like he suddenly couldn't stomach the sight of her and that _hurt._ There was obviously something huge that was bothering him, and she vowed to ask him about it but it would have to be later, they were here for a reason.

When Fred came out of the shower twenty minutes later, Daphne was already dressed and ready to go and Fred forced himself to dress in a hurry too, sensing Daphne's urgency. She was dressed in black jeans and a fitted T-shirt, her freshly washed hair pushed back into a casual ponytail. She pulled the outfit together with her favourite purple jacket and biker boots. Fred dressed similarly casually, in jeans, sneakers and layered up in a T-shirt, hoodie and black leather jacket.

The minute he had stood up after tying his shoelaces, Daphne was already opening the door, a hint of impatience creeping in as she asked him tersely if he was ready.

He affirmed that he was and hurried towards her, offering her his hand when they eventually stepped outside into the driving rain.

The US Consulate in Hong Kong wasn't too far a walk from the hotel, so after a quick stop to buy an umbrella, they walked with purpose through the busy Hong Kong streets. Fred held the umbrella gentlemanly over them both with one hand, the other continued to tightly grasp Daphne's, she stuffed her other hand into her pocket.

Together, they dodged people who seemed to come at them from every direction, more than once nearly coming a cropper as they crossed the insanely busy roads.

Despite the umbrella, they were both pretty wet by the time they reached the Consulate, and Fred shook the droplets of rain off the umbrella as best as he could, then pulled the door shut behind them as they stood hesitantly in the plush lobby of the building.

Daphne squeezed the moisture from her red hair, before turning to Fred with a worried look on her face. "Fred," she asked quietly, "did you feel like we were being followed?"

He automatically felt his stomach clench in alarm at her question. "No. Did you see anyone?"

"No, it was just a feeling I had. Like there was always someone just a few paces behind us, keeping watch."

He nodded, hoping it was just her increased paranoia.

"Heck of a day out there folks!" the American receptionist greeted them jovially. "What can I do for you?"

When Daphne told him they were here about her brother who was missing, his beaming smile vanished in an instant, replaced by a serious expression.

"Of course Miss Blake, let me just tell them you're here. Mr. Farshan wasn't expecting you quite this early on in the day, but, he'll be pleased to meet you."

Fred nodded politely at him, trying not to think too much about Daphne's concern about being followed. She had admitted it was 'just a feeling', but her natural instincts had not often been wrong in these kind of situations in the past. He desperately hoped she was on this occasion.

"Miss Blake?"

They both snapped to attention and stood up to follow the petite Asian woman with the perfectly coiffed hair bun, who beckoned them to follow her.

As they walked down a maze of identical immaculate, cream corridors, Daphne found herself quite ridiculously obsessing over the young woman's perfect hair. It had been pulled back so tightly and severely that Daphne couldn't help but wonder if it hurt. Every single hair strand was smooth, she didn't have any clumps sticking out of her bun and there wasn't even a bobby pin in sight.

She was about to ask her what hairspray she used to achieve such perfection when the woman opened a door quickly and ushered them inside, before just as quickly, exiting, closing the door shut behind her. Daphne and Fred found themselves in an office where a man sat in a suit behind a large oak desk. He greeted them pleasantly with a smile.

"Miss Blake and...?"

"Mr. Jones, Fred Jones." Fred quickly supplied.

"Miss Blake, Mr. Jones, I'm slightly surprised you were able to get to Hong Kong quite so quickly. Please, do have a seat."

Fred sunk into the leather chair but Daphne was still standing as she fired off her first request, unwilling to sit through any pleasantries first.

"Mr. Farshan, please tell me everything you know about what's happened to my brother." Fred gently pulled her down and she sat relucantly, perching herself right onto the edge of the chair.

Mr. Farshan blinked in surprise at the young woman's cold assertiveness but recovered quickly.

"Of course." He laced his hands together, alternating eye contact between Daphne and Fred as he spoke. "Mr. Dillon was a long term employee of the International News Agency as you know, with the majority of his work, based here in Hong Kong. What you were not aware of, was the true nature of Mr. Dillon's work. Mr. Dillon had actually became deep undercover, investigating a group with links to members of Triad organisations, both here in Hong Kong and in America. These are a very dangerous organisation, involved in both drug trafficking and people trafficking and smuggling of illegal weapons." He paused to see how they were responding to this bombshell.

Daphne merely nodded, her face showing very little emotion, "please continue."

As alarmed as Fred was by the revelation that Ethan was mixed up in dangerous operations, there was only one thing he had taken note of from Mr Farshan so far.

_He was. He was. Past tense._

He hoped Daphne hadn't picked up on it.

"Some of Mr. Dillon's information had been directly passed onto police, which led to some successful and significant arrests. As a direct result of this, we believe Mr. Dillon could well have been targeted for revenge if his credentials had indeed been compromised.

Two nights ago, Mr. Dillon failed to make contact with his principal source. After being contacted by those Mr. Dillon worked closely with, to inform us he was missing, we were able to subsequently recover his motorcycle. Would you like to see the pictures of the scene?"

Fred reached across for Daphne's hand, delicately brushing his fingers over her knuckles. "You don't have to look," he whispered to her.

She refused to look at him, ignoring his advice, "please," she said resolutely instead.

Mr Farshan nodded, then reached into the draw for a folder; he shuffled through a few papers before slowly pushing the photos around so Fred and Daphne could see."

"These markings on the road show where the bike skidded," he said, pointing to the mark. "We believe the second marking here shows evidence of another vehicle present at the same scene."

"Mr Farshan," Fred asked boldly, "do you believe there is any possibility that this could have been an accident?"

Mr Farshan thought about the question for a while before answering. "Truthfully, purely based on the evidence of the scene, it is entirely possible. It was a wet night and another vehicle could well have accidentally collided with Mr Dillon's bike but...with the knowledge of him having likely made a such powerful enemy, I would have to conclude it unlikely."

"Thank you Mr Farshan."

"I hesitate to show you the pictures of the actual bike wreckage, it is not really necessary..."

"Please, show me."

"As you wish Miss Blake," Mr Farshan solemnly revealed the photos that had had been taken of the wreckage.

Daphne numbly viewed the photos of Ethan's beloved bike, smashed to bits on the rock below. It was presented in so many fragments now it was hard to believe it once provided such a powerful ride. When they had visited last summer, he couldn't wait to give Daphne a ride, and she had loved the thrill it gave her, the wind whipping through her hair. Ethan adored that bike.

Seeing the shattered, twisted bits of metal lying on the rock face made Fred's stomach fill with bile. It made the whole terrible situation real. Daphne though had still not really properly reacted.

She reached over and stacked the photos neatly, before closing the folder again and slid it back over the desk.

"Mr. Farshan, what measures are currently being taken to locate my brother?"

"We are fully committed to locating Mr Dillon and returning him to you of course Miss Blake, our investigations are continuing. We are still yet to determine when the last time was that anyone saw Mr. Dillon alive so we can put together a timeline. He did not make contact with his source, but he had been off grid for some time."

"Erm, I had a Skype conversation with Ethan around 3pm Chinese time the afternoon before he went missing" Fred admitted, causing both Daphne and Mr. Farshan to raise eyebrows.

"You did? As in visual?" Farshan asked eagerly and Fred nodded in response. "Well that's very helpful Mr. Jones, that certainly adds to our timeline. Could you estimate the duration and nature of this conversation?"

Fred could feel Daphne's curious eyes burning into him, but he kept his focus on Farshan.

"It was only around ten minutes, just a social catch up," he asserted. "There was something a little odd actually, looking back now, I guess."

"Yes?" Farshan asked.

"He was acting a little nervous, he kept looking at what I assumed was his phone and then he left the chat rather abruptly."

"Interesting, thank you." Farshan scribbled something on a piece of paper as they both then stood to leave. "Well, Miss Blake, Mr. Jones, thank you for your time and may I extend my sincere condolences for this awful tragedy. Be assured your brother was a brave man and had done some wonderful work. We will do everything in our power to recover him and bring him home."

Daphne blinked before reprimanding him sharply, "he isn't dead Mr. Farshan."

Farshan looked worriedly at Fred, who stared at him helplessly. Recognising the young woman might well need support, he extended his personal card. "Please call if you need any help dealing with anything. _Anything_ at all, the US Consulate would be more than happy to provide any assistance while you are here in Hong Kong and any support or advice going forward."

Fred thanked Farshan profusely, while Daphne had already turned on her heel angrily and was leading the way out. He trailed her all the way to the main door, barely having time to grab their umbrella as she marched out the door and back out into the rain.

She wrapped her arms around herself, her hoodless jacket offering her no protection against the relentless rain. She heard Fred struggling to catch up with her and she continued her furious pace.

He reached out to her, grabbing for her arm.

"Daph! Wait!" he spluttered, trying to push up the blasted umbrella over their heads.

"Why didn't you tell me you spoke to him?!" she demanded angrily.

"I didn't think it was important, it was nothing, I often Skype him," Fred admitted.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Do I have to? He's my friend too you know. I wanted to speak to him." Fred found himself getting defensive, they didn't have to share everything, he obviously had a very valid reason for speaking to Ethan recently, he couldn't share with her.

Daphne nodded. "God Freddy, I'm sorry, I'm just so worried."

He took her hand again. "I know, I'm worried about him too." They paused at a crossing, waiting for the lights to change. "What do you want to do now?"

"We've got to get to Ethan's apartment, I think his laptop will give us all the information we need to find out who attacked him."

"Sounds like a plan," Fred agreed.

She pulled out her cell and looked up Ethan's address, showing it to Fred. "It's not _too _far from here," she suggested, meaning they could walk but Fred shook his head.

"No, I've got a better idea," he said, guiding her over the road and into to the nearest underground subway station. They stood looking at the detailed map, trying to make sense of the complicated network. For Daphne it was just a jumble of colourful lines and Chinese symbols but after a few minutes, Fred seemed to have a much better idea about how they could get to where they needed.

"I think I got it," he murmured, "let's go."

If Daphne and Fred thought the city was generally busy, it was nothing compared to the hub of the underground. Every corner was crammed with fast moving people, most with headphones jammed over their ears or speaking with a stream of Chinese into their phones. Everyone looked busy, moving at a frightening pace and Daphne didn't mind admitting it made her feel nervous. Every few seconds it seemed, a high speed train pulled into position by a platform, people filed off, people filed on and then it was on it's way again, it was an incredible act of efficiency she couldn't help but marvel at.

They hurried along the platform, Daphne was completely reliant on Fred to find the way. She caught sight of a stray lace coming loose on her boot. and fearing tripping over as she neared the train, she let go of Fred's hand and bent to re-fasten the lace. As she jumped back to her feet, before she was fully balanced again, she felt a violent shove into her side, and she was immediately caught off-balance, and her arms flailed uselessly as she felt herself falling. For those seconds, the busy hub of the station was frozen in time and all she was aware of was her falling. She heard the whistle of a horn, a flash of light, and a gust of air as she realised to her horror, she was perilously close to falling into the path of a speeding train. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting for impact, when she felt a sharp tug on her arm, pulling her away from the edge. She opened them again to find Fred, gripping her tightly, having caught her just in time. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and he looked at her in terror, before pulling her fully to her feet. Several other passengers around them stared and paused to check the girl was OK but most people just carried on their journeys oblivious to the drama. Fred made sure Daphne was OK before he turned his attention to the young black clothed man with the backpack who was still hurrying his way through the station and had obviously barged into Daphne in his haste.

"Hey Asshole!" he yelled, not caring in the slightest that it was highly unlikely the ignorant youth would even understand him. "Watch where you're fucking going next time! You could have killed her!"

The man with the backpack didn't even so much as glance back, he probably had earphones in, Fred realised as he disappeared onto a train.

His own heart was still beating erratically as he turned back to Daphne to find her still shaking like a leaf.

"What a jerk," he said to her furiously. "Probably late for work or something and he just barges past like that without a care in the world!" He hugged her, realising the extent of her shaking and she started to sob.

"Oh sweetheart, what a shock, it's OK, I got you now."

He didn't want to think about how close she came to falling by the tracks. So engrossed with checking for the right platform, he _hadn't_ initially realised she had stopped, and only just got back to her in time to catch her courtesy of 'Mr Impatient Arsehole'.

"He meant to do it," she said suddenly in a small voice, "I felt him push me."

"Oh Daph, I know you're still in shock but he was just a monumental jerk, you said yourself about how quickly everyone moves around here."

Daphne shook her head, trembling with fear. "No Freddy," she insisted, "I felt him shove me, it was no accident."

Fred felt a coldness shoot straight through him, it couldn't possibly be true could it?

"Are you sure?" he asked her fearfully.

"I can't be 100% sure," Daphne admitted. "I was tying my shoelace and when I stood up, I felt such a force from the side, it completely knocked me off balance. I guess he _could_ have just been elbowing his way past but..." she paused and swallowed hard.

"But what?"

"But, I can't be sure, I keep replaying it back in my head but I think...I might even have felt _his hands_ on my back, but maybe I'm just imagining it. Like the sensation I had of being followed earlier today too. It could just be my imagination."

Fred felt completely sick and hoped with all his heart it was the increased paranoia. The alternative was too horrifying to behold; that someone had deliberately tried to shove his girlfriend in front of a train.

He took her hand reassuringly. "Come on, let's go get a cab instead."

Still feeling incredibly shaky, Daphne was grateful to follow Fred back outside where the rain was still pouring down. It only took a few minutes to hail a cab and they were soon on their way to Ethan's apartment. They both tried to put the horrifying incident on the subway behind them, choosing instead to talk about Ethan but careful not to be too explicit, given they didn't know how well their driver was able to understand English.

"I know you said you spoke to him quite a bit Freddy, but did you have any idea what was really going on with Ethan?"

"I had a suspicion that he wasn't telling me everything," Fred replied honestly. "He kept mentioning about some date he was due to go on, but I guess that was he really meeting er...someone else."

Daphne nodded then sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "First Stella and Will, now Ethan, why is no one entirely honest with us Freddy?"

"I can only think it's to protect us," Fred said with a shrug and Daphne made a face. "I think they all had our best interests at heart."

That had been Daphne's belief too but it didn't make the news any easier to digest. She closed her eyes briefly only for them to fly open again in alarm as despite being seat-belted, Fred, and subsequently herself, suddenly went flying hard into the window as the car violently swerved after being bumped by another car. The driver struggled to regain control for a second and she caught a glimpse of another car careening past at speed. They had been dangerously close to spinning into a shopfront but the driver managed to take control again and get back on track. He immediately opened his window to send a stream of abuse in Chinese about the offending car driver, which Daphne assumed was similar to "you crazy roadhog!" but much less polite. He found a safe space to pull over and turned around to check his shaken passengers.

"Are...you...two...okay?" he asked in broken English. "I sorry. Lunatic speedster!" He shook his fist again.

Fred's head had slammed into the glass hard on impact, and Daphne had fallen into his lap but they were otherwise fine and assured him as such.

The driver nodded and continued their journey cautiously. Only after they had left the cab, did they discuss it.

"Did you see what happened?" Daphne asked with wide, frightened eyes.

Fred remembered the car slamming into their side from nowhere, leaving him with an indescribable feeling the car had meant to run them off the road, just like the guy had apparently meant to shove Daphne. Despite the fear that now consumed him, instead he lied.

"Uh sure, this guy was trying to overtake and got way too close, I think it was just a bad judgment call, what with the slippery road surface and all."

"You're saying it was accidental? It sure didn't feel accidental. Neither did the subway. If I didn't know any better I'd say someone was..."

"Sweetheart, you're just being paranoid, they were just accidents," Fred tried to reassure her, not willing to divulge he was very much feeling along those lines right now.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, I'm still feeling pretty tired too," she conceded, as Fred kissed her.

"Let's get inside," he said, holding the door open to Ethan's fancy apartment building in the heart of the city. They rode the elevator up to the 15th floor where Ethan's apartment was and Daphne produced the keycard Ethan had given her, the last time they visited.

Remembering what happened the last time they had arrived at Ethan's residence when he was missing, Daphne felt extremely apprehensive but as they turned the lights on, everything looked normal in Ethan's apartment. Boasting all the mod cons of Eastern architecture and design, it was a plush and comfortable abode with a combined high sheen kitchen and living area, bedroom and en suite, and a balcony. Ethan kept his furnishings tasteful and minimalistic and the apartment was immaculately tidy. No takeway cartons littered the lounge or clothes strewn all over the floor. A handful of framed pictures were scattered around the apartment including several of Ethan and Daphne and one taken from before they left Coolsville, that featured himself, Daphne, Fred, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby. Fred smiled sadly at the picture whilst Daphne was in Ethan's bedroom, looking for the laptop.

Fred walked around the apartment, seeing all the signs of Ethan's life there. The kitchen was full of fancy looking gadgets and recipe books, evidence of Ethan's love for cooking. In the living room, there were a handful of magazines on the table and books stacked neatly on a shelf, he was just pulling out an interesting looking volume when Daphne emerged, clutching the silver laptop.

"Got it," she smiled.

She carried the laptop to the table in the living room and sat down. Fred hovered over her shoulder.

"Okay," she said, opening the lid to be immediately met with a password prompt. Her fingernails flew flawlessly across the keyboard and she was effortlessly logged in, and then into Ethan's email account.

Fred raised his eyebrow at her. "You know all of Ethan's passwords?"

"Of course not but I had a very good idea of what they were. He's been using the same combinations since we were kids," she explained. "Now, let's see what we have here."

She was just clicking on the most recent one when the lights went out in the apartment, leaving just an eerie glow from the screen.

"Uh, maybe a power cut?" she suggested uncertainly.

Fred wasn't so convinced and he glanced up just in time to see a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and realised with terror, there was someone on the outside balcony.

"Daphne, duck!" he screamed, diving to the floor with her, Daphne still clutching the silver laptop just as the glass window shattered and objects landed around them. Fearing they were grenades, he dragged Daphne along the floor away from them the best he could, before they hissed open and smoke filled the room. _Smoke bombs _he realised as noisy flash bang ones also went off. He saw at least two men dressed in black enter the apartment from the balcony and he realised the intention of the smoke bombs was merely to disorient them.

"Daph! Keep low!" he choked out, a hand on her back as she crawled along the floor in front of him. They reached the door and stumbled into the still lit corridor, Daphne shakily got to her feet, still holding the laptop, running without even thinking where she was going. She knew Fred was just a heartbeat behind her as they ran to the end of the corridor.

"Stairs!" Fred barked out from behind, and she yanked the door open and began the descent down. As the door clattered noisily indicating they were still being pursued, she heard a bang and it took a few seconds to realise it was a bullet.

She screamed as several more shots were discharged as they ran down the never ending staircase. Finally they reached the bottom and Fred grabbed her hand and led the way outside.

"Now do you believe someone is trying to kill us?!" Daphne panted.

"What the hell are we going to do?"

"We lose them in the crowd!" Fred yelled as they turned into the marketplace outside. Fred pulled a rack down behind them to slow their pursuers as they wove deeper into the markets. It barely seemed to slow them and Fred cursed.

"Fred, we don't exactly blend into the crowd!" Daphne exclaimed urgently and Fred knew she had a point, red and blond hair were in short supply within the crowded marketplace and he knew they were never going to be able to outrun them.

"Daph!" he shouted, spying some brightly dressed people in a passing parade. "Operation Shaggy and Scooby!"

Daphne grabbed a handful of materials, scarfs and beads from a stall as they ran past, quickly covering herself and Fred did likewise as they calmly joined the parade.

Hidden underneath the bright fabrics of their disguise they watched grimly as their pursuers moved on, suspecting they had already ran past the parade, not joined it. They moved within the parade for a few more minutes before slowly moving away into a dark alley. When they were sure it was safe, Fred pulled Daphne into his arms.

"Were they...were they assassins?" she shivered in the rain, peeling off her disguise. Her teeth chattered and Fred wrapped his additional fabrics around her, she placed her hands on his shoulder, and he noticeably winced. Daphne's fingertips on his shoulder, came away feeling tacky and she looked in horror to see red staining her hands. She slid his jacket off his shoulder and he hissed in pain as she realised the truth.

"Oh my god Fred, you've been shot!" she whispered in pure horror.

"It's fine," he immediately tried to bluster, "it just grazed my shoulder."

"We have to get you to a hospital!" she cried but he shook his head immediately, "they'll be looking out for us there, we can't, we can't go back to the hotel either."

"Well what are we going to do?" Daphne asked, already panicking. "Do you even know anyone else in Hong Kong?"

Fred thought for a minute and then smiled painfully. "As a matter of fact I do."

"You do?" Daphne asked doubtfully. "Someone who can help us? I'm not being funny Fred but we're alone in China, with assassins pursuing us and you've been shot in the shoulder, who could you _posssibly _know who's going to help us with all that?"

Fred produced his cell phone, looking for the long ago stored number. "Her name is Mei-Ling."


	8. Meet Mei Ling

**A.N. Hi everyone, happy new year! I'm aware I'm not able to update this as often as I would like to but I do update whenever I can. I've just edited and prepped two chapters in one weekend so the next chapter will follow very, very shortly after this one.**

**Some notes here - In case you haven't picked it up, yes Mei Ling is inspired by the What's New Scooby Doo universe. I happened to catch that episode when prepping the next part of the Hong Kong story and saw a perfect opportunity to create a little nod to that universe. This version of Mei, like all my characters, is vastly different of course and is tied closely to Fred's story as you're about to find out. I hope you enjoy and find time to feedback.**

* * *

"_Her?"_

Despite the urgency of their situation, Daphne still found time to be surprised by the identity of their potential saviour. "And who is she?"

"She's a doctor, at least, well, I hope she's a doctor by now anyway."

"You_ hope? _Fred, we need more than just hope right now! I mean, who is she to you? You've never mentioned her before."

"She was a foreign exchange student at my High School. She was training to be a doctor and the last time I messaged her, she had almost finished her training."

"Oh well, let's hope she has hey, or at least has enough expertise to extract a bullet," she replied snippily.

"I don't see you offering up a suggestion here," Fred glared at Daphne, acutely aware of the pain shooting through his shoulder again. "And to get this out the way with right now, yes she is an ex girlfriend of mine."

Daphne was completely secure in her relationship with Fred but even so she felt a defensive wall go up within her, and her eyebrows arch skywards. "_Really?"_

"Yes, I know what you're thinking and you don't have anything to worry about, I promise," he said, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "In fact," he added, a small smile developing, "it's probably you that _I _need to worry about on that front."

"Oh?" Daphne was confused until he waggled his eyebrows at her, then suddenly she understood. "_Ohhhh," _she said with obvious surprise. "You still haven't told me though, why some girl you once dated in High School, who might well be a lesbian doctor now, would presumably drop everything to help us?"

"Well that's easy, she said I will always be in her debt and to look her up if I ever needed her." Daphne gave him a questioning look so he added the necessary explanation. "I saved her life."

_Coolsville, 7 years ago_

"_Frederick Herman Jones! You get yourself down these stairs right this second!" A shrill voice demanded._

_Fifteen year old Fred Jones winced at the loudness of his mother's voice as he slowly clambered out of bed and sleepily made his way to the bathroom._

"_Coming mom," he called tiredly, blinking in the harsh light of the bathroom before brushing his teeth. His sleep deprived state was his own fault of course; his mom didn't know he had only crawled back in through his bedroom window a couple of hours ago._

_As he entered the kitchen, reaching over the counter to grab some cereal, his mom clocked his dishevelled appearance. _

"_Jeez Freddy, you look like shit," she exclaimed, frowning at the teenager's unkempt blond hair, and tired looking eyes._

"_Gee thanks mom, and a good morning to you too," he muttered, while crunching his breakfast. "I'll grab a quick shower before I leave."_

"_You need to," Mrs Jones continued to nag before she brightened visibly. "Oh Freddy, you haven't forgotten have you? Today, you're going to bring home one of the exchange students from China. I've got the spare room all ready for him. Please be nice to him, it must be so scary being in a foreign country with a family of strangers when you don't even speak the language!"_

_Fred inwardly groaned, he very much HAD forgotten. Having a student come and live with him was the last thing he needed right now. Undoubtedly, he would turn out to be some super swot type who would have no problem ratting him out to his mom for his 'nightly visits.' Instead of vocalising his annoyance however, he painted a false smile on his face to appease her._

"_Of course I haven't forgotten mom! You don't have to ask me to be nice, I'll do everything I can to make him feel welcome in Coolsville."_

_He jogged back upstairs for a quick shower, and then took his time to sort his hair; while the exchange student would almost certainly be an inconvenience, he wasn't going to let his standards slip, not when girls like Amy were around!_

_He grabbed his letterman jacket and his bag off the bannister and swung back in to the kitchen to kiss his mom goodbye._

"_Oh that's much better hon'," she beamed at his neat appearance as he kissed her cheek. "Remember Fred, dinner will be served for you and your friend at 6pm sharp, don't be late!"_

"_I won't mom, see you later," he grinned, the door slamming shut after him._

_Later that morning at school, Fred sat bored in his seat in the auditorium with all the other students while Principal Williams carried out the terribly droll task of pairing up each and every student on the programme. Girls to girls, boys to boys. No 'funny business' could occur that way, Principal Williams sternly declared to many sniggers from the assembled students._

_The matching up of the Coolsville High students to their Chinese counterparts continued blandly and Fred barely took any notice of the procession, preferring to doodle on his notebook cover. He only glanced up with something approaching mild curiosity, when his friend Norville Rogers' name was called. Norville was subsequently paired with a particularly bookish and serious looking student. Fred cheerfully mouthed 'unlucky' at his laid back friend as they passed, Norville gave him the finger in return as he guided his new partner out the auditorium._

_Fred slumped further into his seat, wondering if maybe his name wasn't actually in the programme after all, but he knew he could never be that lucky. Three students after Norville had been paired, he finally heard a name called with his own, and he sighed and made his way to the stage to greet the boy he was going to be sharing his home with for at least a couple of months. 'Please be cool' he silently prayed to himself._

"_Fred," Mr Williams was saying, "this is Jian, I paired Jian with you because I know you will take special care of him. Fred is our Class President, so you are exceptionally lucky Jian!" Mr Williams beamed at Fred before continuing. "Jian is a little different because he is new to his school in China in addition to taking part in the programme. He does not even know his fellow Chinese students so please be especially thoughtful."_

_'Brave guy', Fred thought, 'new to a school and then straight onto a foreign exchange programme in America'. He smiled warmly as he greeted the boy. "It's very nice to meet you Jian," he said, peering at him closely._

_Jian was fairly slight in build, dressed in a baggy shirt, slacks and sneakers and with long black hair. His facial features that could be seen behind the lengthy bangs were quite soft looking. Jian took his outstretched hand confidently to shake it. Mr Williams smiled, and then he was onto the next pairing and Fred was leading Jian out of the auditorium and on a tour around the fairly non-descript space that was their school grounds. Jian seemed pleasant if a little boring, asking questions Fred couldn't answer about the history of the building or questions about Coolsville in very broken English._

_His mother was more impressed with the achingly polite young boy and the first couple of weeks with Jian passed by reasonably uneventfully._

_Jian was quite guarded when Fred asked him questions about his life in China, and although it was obvious the boy was ridiculously gifted and his teachers and parents adored him, Fred soon found himself predictably bored by him._

_That was however, until 'the incident'._

_It was a lazy Sunday morning and Fred's parents were out. He had taken the opportunity to stay in bed that little bit longer and he rose leisurely after another late night with Norville and Scooby. He wandered to the bathroom and after finding the door unlocked, with no noise from within, he strolled right on in._

_Finding Jian on the toilet might have been embarrassing, walking in on him while he was still in the shower would have made things more than a little awkward between them. However, walking in to find Jian in such a state of undress that would have been mortifying anyway in normal circumstances, what he did actually see, ensured this would be a moment he would never forget._

_His jaw dropped, Jian screamed and Fred started to apologise, immediately, desperately trying to close the door, but 'Jian' now with a towel covering their modesty, furiously yanked Fred inside the bathroom with brutal force._

_Fred didn't know where to look, instead he found himself marvelling how he hadn't noticed it until now. Sure, the hair was a little long, and the features soft, but they were more than that, they were actually delicate he realised on close inspection. He now knew exactly what was hidden underneath those baggy clothes Jian favoured._

"_You're a girl?" he whispered in awe. _

"_You weren't supposed to find out!" she replied furiously, a tiny package of feminine rage, also no longer speaking in broken English, causing Fred's eyes to widen further._

"_Jesus, what happened to "I. Thank. You. Mrs. Jones?" he mocked her previously stilted accent and she actually punched him in the face._

_He held his stinging nose, stunned. "Who the hell are you? Are you even a student at all?!"_

"_Yes I'm a student," she scowled angrily, pushing her bangs aside. "I'm just not the one you thought, my name is Mei Ling."_

"_I can't believe it, how did you expect that no one would find out?" _

"_Well, I managed two weeks without you suspecting a thing," she said slyly._

"_Why would you even pretend to be a boy? What did you have to gain?" Fred, asked, still struggling to come to terms with the amazing revelation._

"_I have my own reasons for coming to America right now that I won't share with you. I couldn't bear the thought of sharing a house with some self-obsessed vapid girly girl. I'd much rather share a house with someone cooler... like you."_

"_Really?" Fred raised his eyebrows suggestively and she scowled again._

"_Oh don't flatter yourself, not like that."_

"_I can't believe you went to all this effort to disguise yourself as a boy. Does ANYONE know you're a girl? What about Miss Songhua?" He asked, referring to the Chinese teacher who had accompanied all of the students._

"_Nope," Mei Ling said proudly. "Nobody knows. Apart from you. I suppose you're going to tell everyone now?"_

_Fred thought about it for a second and smiled at her._

"_No, I won't actually," he grinned, and she looked at him with relief. "I quite like the idea of having hidden a girl in my house in plain sight. Feels so naughty. Mom would have a fit!"_

_Mei laughed along with Fred and she knew then that he would keep her secret._

_Despite her initial denial of even being attracted to Fred; living together with this incredible secret ensured their mutual attraction to each other quickly grew, and in secret they became a couple. It was tough for Fred though, he became besotted with the smart and fierce girl but they had to hide their romance from everyone. Instead, they hooked up in secret or whenever Fred's parents weren't home._

_One afternoon they were lying together on the top of Fred's bed making out. Mei's legs were tangled around his and she sighed contentedly in his arms, laying her head on his chest. "I can't believe all this has to end soon," she murmured. "Never in my wildest dreams, could I have wished for a better exchange partner," she smiled up at him, just enjoying being in his muscular arms. _

_They both jolted up when they heard the unmistakable sound of the front door slam unexpectedly and Mrs Jones' voice floated up the stairs._

"_Fred, Jian? We're home early." _

_Mei jumped up, quickly re-buttoning her shirt. They had never gone further than just making out, but this time things had got a little more heated and they both needed to re-arrange their clothing. Just in time, Mei and Fred got the homework out and looked to be perfectly innocently studying when Mrs Jones popped her head around the door._

_They had had a few similar close shaves but still Mei's secret remained, until the day the lie unravelled in devastating fashion._

_._

_Mei had always been so careful to keep up appearances and only ever went in alone to the boy's bathroom or used the cubicle, but somewhere she must have made a mistake because suspicions had clearly been raised. A group of fellow Chinese students had attempted to follow her to the bathroom one evening when herself and Fred had stayed late at school._

_Ignoring them, she washed her hands calmly, underneath their glare, and then walked quickly back to the library where she was meeting Fred after his football practice. She silently breathed a sigh of relief when the group seemingly headed in the other direction, she was almost there._

_Before she could get inside, she was suddenly body slammed violently into the side of the building, and she slumped to the ground, struggling to get her breath back._

_As she attempted to get back up, she felt a sharp kick to her side, ensuring she stayed down. Several more kicks then rained down upon her and she instinctively tried to curl up to protect herself._

_Instead, she was grabbed up by her hair and roughly pinned against the wall, and that's when her attacker spoke. _

"_Jian," he hissed into her ear."I heard a rumour, and you understand that it's just a rumour mind, that apparently you're hiding a big secret."_

_The man had made no attempt to hide his identity and obviously didn't care about being caught, given they were just down the side of the school library. Mei recognised him as one of the Chinese students who had tailed her in the bathroom._

_He pinned one wrist to the wall and with his other hand, roamed over her shirt. Mei panicked as she realised what he was doing. He was feeling for her modest developing breasts she had strapped down every day since she arrived in America. She tried to spit at him and he slapped her, and then grinned when he found what he was looking for. "Or maybe it's TWO secrets."_

"_Take your hands off me," she instructed firmly and he laughed. _

"_So, it IS true, you really are bringing shame on everyone by hiding your true form? Your mistake, little girl," He sneered._

_Mei barely had time to brace herself before he punched her hard in the face, and she felt her nose explode, spraying her blood onto him. He wiped his face in disgust, and then threw her to the ground. "What a worthless waste," he uttered in sheer contempt before launching into another kick, this time catching her in her abdomen. Mei-Ling gasped from the unbelievable pain and he kicked her again and again, all over her body, and she felt her consciousness, slipping away. "Help me please," she tried to shout but she knew her voice was quiet and weak._

_She realised as the attack was relentless that he was content to kill her, and she found herself welcoming the imminent peace._

_God however, must have had other plans because suddenly there was a lot of shouting, and the sound of running footsteps and mercifully the attack ceased. Her eye sockets now felt swollen so she wasn't entirely sure what was going on but she could feel a second reassuring presence, kind strong arms suddenly wrapped around her and she found herself being lifted from the ground. Not long after that, she was being placed inside an ambulance._

_Fred had found her and stopped the attack, just in time it seemed._

_In the hours after the attack, the truth obviously spilled out, with various parties expressing their horror that a girl had played the system and little comment on the brutal murder attempt itself. _

_Having fled the scene initially when Fred disturbed his assault on Mei, her attacker, Wu, was swiftly apprehended, having made little attempt to avoid capture. Wu admitted he was trying to kill her, having being absolutely disgusted she was making such a mockery of China by disrespecting sexuality in this way._

_Mei-Ling was left to recover alone in hospital, shunned by the High School and with a heartbroken Fred not allowed to visit._

_When she was well enough, despite being a few weeks short of the official end of the exchange, she was to be sent straight back to China, where she would face further disciplinary action for 'her act of deceit.'_

_After full investigation between Coolsville and China, it was discovered Mei Ling was actually even slightly older than claimed and she then had to face accusations of deliberately seducing Fred, both from Coolsville High staff, and Fred's furious mother._

_Even after Mei Ling had been sent back home in disgrace and in spite of the fact his mother strictly forbade any contact, a lovelorn Fred continued to email Mei Ling, but it was obvious their passion was over._

_Not long after, the whole business with Fred and his father's tax scandal erupted, resulting in Fred's father subsequently being jailed and his mother walking out on him. His communication with Mei Ling diminished until it was barely a friendly email once or twice a year. She told him she had been punished by her school but had pleaded her case and was still allowed to successfully apply for medical school. She also told him much to his surprise, she had met someone new, a female someone and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. _

_His own life changed considerably after that of course, his desperate circumstances had him turning to crime and his relationship with the Chinese girl who had duped all around her into believing she was a boy, was long since forgotten. _

Until now.

"Wow." Daphne stated as Fred concluded telling his and Mei Ling's story. "If anyone else had told me such a tale, I would have had the hardest time believing them. How can you actually hide your own _gender?!"_

"I promise you it's all true Daph."

"I believe you. Gosh, even as a junior in High School, you had quite the adventure, huh? You were already a hero at what 15, 16?"

Fred quickly blushed. There was that word again -_hero._ He had never seen it like that, for him it was a necessary intervention. If he hadn't been there or got there in time, Mei Ling would have been killed. "I did what I had to do," he declared modestly, holding his shoulder again and biting back the pain.

Seeing his plain discomfort, Daphne grabbed her purse, rooting around it for her manicure kit and her scissors. With Fred wearing a hoodie, they both knew it would be agony for him to try and lift it over his injured shoulder so she could take a look at the wound.

Instead, she wielded the scissors as a silent question, and he nodded at her tensely, okaying what she was about to do.

"I hope it's not a favourite," she murmured before very gingerly she began to cut away the fabric as carefully as she could without making contact with the wound with the sharp scissors. She cut away most of the upper part of the bloodied garment so she could get a good look at the bullet wound.

Exposed to the open air now, Fred couldn't help but cry out in pain and she grimaced when she saw the extent of the damage.

Fred tried to twist his neck enough so he could see it himself. "It's just a flesh wound right?" he asked hopefully, even though he knew he was being facetious. The pain radiating from his shoulder, told him the true story.

"I don't know Fred," Daphne replied, sounding worried. "It looks bad to me, really bad. Are you sure that we can't..."

"We can't," he said firmly. "It's not an option. I'm quite sure they'll know I was hit. They will have people looking for us in all the hospitals."

Daphne nodded, knowing he was right. "Okay. So call her then, and let's hope to god, this er..._shot in the dark_ pays off."

Fred nodded grimly at her choice of words, it was a long-shot in so many ways.

Mei Ling had said to always look her up if he ever needed her, but it was almost certainly just something she said to remain on friendly terms. He was quite sure she never intended him to _ever _show up on her doorstep, let alone showing up bleeding from a bullet wound and pursued by would-be assassins. It would be _quite_ some first reunion that was for sure.

But, on the other hand, although it was some time ago, they had shared a special connection, resulting in him saving her life.

She would try and help them, he knew she would, once she got over the monumental shock of course.

The pain was becoming unbearable for him now, it felt like a fire was actually burning on his shoulder. He pressed the green button to connect the call, making a silent prayer in his head that she was going to answer; she was their one and only shot at help right now.

It took a few tense rings but finally the call was answered, he recognised her soft voice immediately, as she responded to the caller identity with a hint of incredulity.

"Is that really you Fred?"

"Mei! Hi! Yeah, you always said to look you up if I ever came to China? Well, uh, surprise! Here I am! I'm in Hong Kong!" he garbled nervously.

"Fred, wow, it's been so long, I don't really know what to say?" Mei sounded absolutely stunned. "I can't believe it's actually you, what are you doing in China?"

As Mei Ling spoke, Fred was acutely aware of two things; the pressing pain in his shoulder, and Daphne's stare as it bore into his back.

"Listen Mei, I know this is weird, beyond weird really and very out of the blue but...I really need your help right now. My girlfriend and I have ran into a bit of trouble."

He heard Mei breathing steadily down the line, he knew she was listening, she finally spoke after a long pause.

"Fred, I said I would always be here for you, and I mean that but it's been nearly eight years! You're going to have to give me a bit more than 'you ran into a bit of trouble.'

Fred laughed nervously, "oh it's a lot more than that, it's a very long story actually but time is what we don't have. I just need to know one thing, and one thing only."

"Go ahead."

"Are you able to, and are you willing to patch up a wound?"

"Sure, what kind of wound is it?"

"It's an ah...gunshot wound."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Coolsville, Shaggy and Velma were watching the fleet of buses fill up with the fleeing residents with their own feelings of trepidation building.

Once the coaches had departed as what felt like a never ending convoy, the station was left eerily empty.

The first to shrug off her fears, Velma led the way out of the station, with the boys following closely behind. They walked for a little while down the familiar and normally busy road the station was situated on. Traffic passed by occasionally outbound but nothing was heading into town.

"Wow," Shaggy eventually exclaimed, "that actual ghost town Freddy made us investigate last year wasn't even as deserted as this. It feels like EVERYONE has gone."

Velma nodded, "it sure feels like that, but there's got to be some people here, it can't just have been abandoned over night...although..." her eyes gleamed a little as she clocked a clearly empty house with a car still sitting on the driveway. "It may have it's advantages."

She sidled up to the drivers door and then turned to Shaggy. "Still remember how to do this?"

Shaggy was momentarily horrified. "No Velma! I swore off this kind of life for good."

"We don't have time to be all precious about this, how else do you propose to get around? The Mystery Machine is parked way over on the other side of town at yours, and the owners clearly don't need it right now."

She had a very good point Shaggy relucantly accepted. "Fine, let's do this."

Velma had begun to look around for something to prise the door open with, when she was startled by the sound of glass shattering.

She turned around open-mouthed to see Shaggy already reaching in to open the door through the now shattered driver's window to remove the rock he had hurled through it.

"What?" He acknowledged her reaction and shrugged nonchalantly. "We don't have time to be all precious about this right?"

He swept his arm over the seat in one fluid motion, brushing the broken fragments of glass off the seat before sliding into the welcoming leather and reaching over to unlock the passenger door for her.

"That's my boy," she said in approval, quickly unlocking the back and tossing in their stuff, Scooby then leapt in.

Shaggy prepared to hot wire the car to get it started but was alert at the flash of headlights that suddenly appeared on the deserted road.

"Uh, we got a company," Velma whispered, craning her neck to see the car that, had squealed it's brake to pull up outside the house. "Shaggy drive!" she urged.

But Shaggy barely had time to start the engine before a figure leapt from the car.

"Step out of the car now!" the man instructed. "All of you step away from that vehicle right now."

It was dark so they didn't have a hope of seeing who it was.

"Reverse Shaggy, come on!" Velma pleaded. "Reverse, you won't hit him, he'll move, come on..."

Shaggy put his foot down ready to do just that when he was incredibly discouraged by a loud sigh from Velma.

"Oh fuck..." she said resignedly.

"What?! What's the matter?" Shaggy asked in panic but when he turned around he could see why Velma had become so dismayed.

"Oh _crap."_

"I won't ask again, leave the goddamn vehicle!" the figure demanded and Shaggy and Velma slowly prepared to exit. They didn't have much choice to do otherwise, the gun in the hand of their assailant and pointed right towards them was amazingly persuasive it turned out.


	9. Sometimes The Truth Is Hardest To Bear

Mei Ling had almost dropped the phone when Fred mentioned a gunshot wound, she certainly wasn't expecting that response. She pinched the skin on her hand tightly to check she wasn't dreaming, satisfied when she felt the tiny ripple of pain.

_Fred freakin' Jones!_

What a blast from the past that name was! Sure, she had loosely kept in touch with him since those awful events on her American adventure, and there would always be a place in her heart for him, but never in a million years did she ever think he would actually initiate contact again.

He hadn't gone into extreme detail over the phone but the gist of it was, that he and his girlfriend, Daphne, were in Hong Kong trying to track down her missing brother. Apparently he was mixed up in shady stuff, and as a result someone was now pursuing THEM and Fred had been shot in the shoulder.

Her every instinct had been screaming at her to say 'no', to not get involved in what was clearly something incredibly dangerous but she couldn't forget what he did for. She could never forget that brief but intense relationship they had shared together. So, instead she had found herself saying 'yes' and was currently waiting for them to turn up at her door.

She lived a little off the beaten track, just outside the city and she knew it would take a while for them to reach her. She always kept a fully stocked first aid cupboard and she raided it now in anticipation of his arrival. She pulled out some gauze, bandages, sterile dressing and tape. She grabbed a couple of towels and then walked into her kitchen and selected a bottle of gin. She poured herself a neat shot, swallowing it quickly, then put the bottle aside, continuing to wait nervously for the knock at the door.

She was extremely worried for Fred's health and had given Daphne some basic first aid advice over the phone but it was difficult without being able to see the wound herself and she found herself anxiously agonising over exactly what state he was likely to be in.

Nearly an hour after Fred had first called her, there was a light knock, and she jumped up to answer, flinging the door open, almost holding her breath in anticipation of exactly what would be standing on the other side.

Fred Jones was standing on her porch looking like a grown up version of the boy she once adored, only now he was even more muscular, his features more defined and he had added a good few inches to his height. She felt a tiny smatter of butterflies in her stomach as she took in the sight before her.

Mei was temporarily blinded by the sheer surreal event of her long ago ex actually turning up at her door, but the circumstances of his appearance quickly set in. Appreciative at first of 'adult' Fred, she would have loved to tell him he looked well, but in truth she realised he looked absolutely awful. His skin was flushed, pale and clammy and he wasn't even able to stand on the porch unaided, he was heavily propped up by his girlfriend in fact.

"Hi Mei," he offered weakly, trying to smile.

Her eyes had naturally been initially only drawn straight to Fred, but Mei Ling found herself actively and curiously studying his eye-catching red headed companion now. She was holding rags over the shoulder wound, and Mei noted with alarm, they were already soaked red.

Mei Ling shook herself to stop staring at Daphne and ushered them inside urgently. Once the door was closed, she guided the pair over to the couch and Fred slumped down, his teeth gritted.

Her mind was bursting with questions but she forced herself to focus on the immediate concern. She snapped on gloves and nodded at Daphne to remove the makeshift bandages. Daphne gingerly peeled them off, while Fred whimpered softly in pain as she did so and Daphne stroked his hair.

Mei felt a little bit of relief when she was able to examine the wound properly. There was no doubt Fred's shoulder was a mess but it would heal in time. The bullet had missed the vital part of the tissue and cartilage and importantly had not actually become lodged in. It looked like it had skimmed the very top of his shoulder and out. Undoubtedly painful but he would live.

"It's a through and through," she announced to them, but was met with blank faces. "It means the bullet passed all the way through," she explained patiently. "That's a good thing. It needs cleaning up so it won't get infected and it will feel pretty numb and useless for a while but you'll be fine Freddy," she smiled.

Daphne breathed a huge sigh of relief and then felt a tiny twinge in her stomach at Mei Ling jumping straight in with Fred's nickname. She knew she was being silly, they had been close once, he admitted as much, but still, she knew she wasn't actually comfortable with this startling new development to their adventure in China.

Mei guided Fred to the sink in her kitchen and immediately set about cleansing the wound thoroughly, rinsing with water, and Fred had to to grit his teeth again from the unbearable pain, as she did this none too gently.

"Sorry," she said, though she didn't seem it from her brusque manner. "I need to be completely thorough to minimise the risk of infection."

Daphne watched the river of blood pouring down the sink as Mei cleansed Fred's shoulder. When Mei was satisfied it was clean, she started to apply a large dressing which completely covered the top of Fred's shoulder. She noticed Fred was wearing a blood smeared T-Shirt and a half ragged, half destroyed black hoodie and was shivering now., Daphne slid Fred's leather jacket back over his shoulder gently while Mei went to find the strongest painkillers she had in the house.

She returned clutching a bottle of pills and a glass of water.

"Take two, every four hours," she instructed, offering him the tablets and water.

Fred chased down the pills with the water quickly. "Thank you."

Mei nodded before jumping up again, "I should get you some clean warmer clothes, be right back," she said before Fred could even protest.

She quickly came back with a bundle of clothing in her arms.

"Mei, I appreciate the offer," Fred said, eyeing the bundle uncomfortably, "but I don't think you'll have anything that fits me."

Mei smiled a little coquettishly, "these are not mine Freddy, they are men's."

The statement was simple but it implied so much more. Both Fred and Daphne did well not to visibly react; Fred simply muttered his thanks, accepting the fleecy zip up hoodie gratefully. With Daphne's help, he was able to awkwardly and painfully manoeuvre his injured shoulder into it and after this task was accomplished, the three were plunged again into uncomfortable silence. It lasted two minutes before Mei shot up from her seat once again.

"I'll get us some tea, shall I?" she announced brightly, not waiting for a response before scurrying back to her kitchen.

Now that she knew Fred was no longer in immediate danger, Daphne took a little more notice of her surroundings, and saw the giveaway signs that Mei Ling didn't actually live alone.

Several pairs of shoes were lined up neatly by the front door, a pair of wine glasses were set aside on the drainer and most tellingly, a selfie photo of Mei, beaming at the camera in the arms of a sunglasses wearing man, was framed on the wall opposite.

"She's a lesbian hey?" Daphne whispered, eyebrows raised in silent question and Fred shrugged in response. Mei dating a man was obviously news to him too.

Mei returned then, setting down a tray of steaming Chinese tea in delicately patterned mugs and Fred and Daphne each took one politely.

"So, are you ready to tell me a bit more about what the hell is going on guys? It was all a bit vague on the phone."

Having helped them when she didn't have to get involved, Fred knew he owed her the full explanation and he began to tell Mei Ling _everything. _He started with their ordeal with Devon four years ago, their adventures that had taken place since, and finished with the attack on Coolsville, Ethan's disappearance in Hong Kong and exactly what had happened to them today.

"My word Fred," Mei offered by way of first response. "Life certainly didn't get dull for you when I went back to China did it?"

"It does sound pretty wild when you lie it all bare like that," Fred admitted.

"You guys should definitely write a book."

"It's funny, you're not the first person to tell us that," Daphne noted, studying Mei surreptitiously over the top of her cup as she sipped.

Daphne certainly didn't know what she had been expecting Mei Ling to look like. This was a woman who had once successfully convinced dozens that she was a boy and who Fred had led her to believe was a lesbian now. There was however, nothing 'boyish' about Mei Ling's figure any more. She was petite but well proportioned, even dressed casually in sweats, she filled out in all the right places. Her skin was simply flawless, setting off her almond eyes perfectly. She was in short, simply beautiful.

And Daphne felt feelings stir within her that she hadn't experienced in a long while. Jealousy. Insecurity.

She knew she was being ridiculous but she felt herself lean in just that little bit closer into Fred's good side as they chatted with the Asian doctor.

"It's been very frightening," she reflected truthfully, recalling the terror they had gone through since landing in China, and she felt Fred hug her back in reassurance.

"Oh, I don't doubt it Daphne! It all sounds absolutely terrifying. I do think there's one thing I'll say that might be of some reassurance to you, " Mei responded mysteriously.

"What's that Mei?" Fred asked with great interest.

"Well, whoever is after you, I don't think this truly could be the work of Chinese Triads."

"What makes you say that?" Daphne enquired.

"Well, speaking very frankly, if they, or someone working on their behalf, wanted you dead, well you'd be dead," she said seriously, looking straight at Fred. "They don't mess around and they _definitely_ don't miss," she nodded towards his messed up shoulder.

"But what about all the other incidents?" Daphne asked, not convinced. "It sure felt like someone has been trying to kill us since the moment we got here."

"Exactly." Mei nodded, her face showing no humour. "Trying. Not succeeding. I'm not being funny to you guys but if all of these incidents were attempts to kill you...there's no way this is the work of the Triads. I don't mean to alarm you any further but if they have an order to kill, they kill."

Daphne outwardly shuddered at the bluntness of Mei Ling's words. Fred considered what she said before looking thoughtful.

"So who could they have been, if they weren't assassins?"

"My best guess? I'd say someone was trying to scare you. Only you will know who and potentially why."

"I still think the laptop will give us some answers," Daphne suddenly exclaimed. "Certainly as to who targeted Ethan and why." She retrieved the slightly battered laptop from where she had left it by the door when they arrived at Mei Ling's.

It was sleek and modern and she luckily had no problem carrying it while she and Fred had ran for their lives.

Daphne opened it up, keying in the passwords again and prepared to open up Ethan's email. She was dismayed to see a flashing icon in the corner indicating a low battery and she moused over it to reveal '36 minutes remaining.'

"Shit," she cursed aloud before turning to Mei Ling, a hopeful expression on her face. "I don't suppose you have a charger?"

"For a laptop like that? I don't think they're even on sale to the public yet."

Daphne nodded disappointed, "okay then, let's make these 36 minutes count. Why don't we start with this series of emails from..."she scrolled down the page to find a prolonged conversation and then read the sender's details, tapping a fingernail against the screen. Her heart rate quickened in alarm as she read the name aloud

_"Stella..."_

* * *

_Meanwhile on the other side of the world in Coolsville..._

"Well this went well," Shaggy whispered sarcastically to Velma as they climbed out of the car, hands held furtively in the air. "Captured by the enemy within _seconds_ of arriving back in town."

Scooby whimpered in fear and followed the two humans as they walked reluctantly towards the man brandishing the gun.

"Slowly, slowly!" the man urged and although he appeared he was fully in command of the situation with the gun he held on them, there was a clear hint of apprehension and nerves present in his voice. On the one hand, it meant that they might be able to take advantage of his lack of conviction, but on the other hand, that nervousness might lead to him panicking and making a really bad decision, like shooting one of them. "Drop your weapons!" he commanded and Velma could really feel that nervous energy now.

_There's no way this is Devon at least, _she realised. As they moved nearer the figure, she squinted, able to make out a little more of their body shape, the man was fairly slight in build, wearing a dark wool hat and dark clothing.

_DEFINITELY NOT Devon _she decided quickly. _I__n fact he does actually look a little familiar_ she thought as she saw his more youthful appearance visible in profile now, _he looks very familiar in fact..._

"Rory?" she blurted, causing him to falter considerably. "Rory, is that you?"

Shaggy's jaw dropped now as he too saw what Velma did as they stepped closer to him, still with their hands in the air.

As they stepped out of the dark shadows and into the light that was bathing the pavement from the street lamp, the identities of all of them were revealed to each other.

Seeing the boy, girl and dog in close up, the man holding the gun, wavered at first, then dropped it completely by his side. "Velma? Shaggy? _Scooby?!"_

Officer Rory Dewhurst stood gaping back at the trio with an amazed look on his face before it broke into an anguished smile and he moved forward to greet them, hastily tucking away his weapon.

The dread and fear that had coursed through Shaggy and Velma completely dissipated now and for the first time in a long time, there was genuine joy on both of their faces.

Officer Rory had first encountered the gang as a junior police officer on the night the whole Devon Blake debacle had culminated. Devon had kidnapped both Ethan and Fred, and brought them to an old abandoned factory and silo. With Fred's help, Ethan had managed to escape and secretly brought the police back with him in a timely cavalry charge. While Shaggy was inside the building, finding and rescuing Fred; Daphne and Velma were recovering from a tussle with Devon. Rory was on his first major police operation, having only recently graduated from the police academy and had been charged with looking after Daphne and Velma while the 'big guns' went in search of Devon Blake who had fled.

In the coming days and weeks after the events at the factory, Rory had been assigned as a liaison officer for the gang, and despite the fact it was frowned upon to form attachments to your 'charges' , Rory found himself becoming friends with the whole gang. When the gang formed _Mystery Incorporated _and began solving mysteries in Coolsville, although it was usually Stella and Will Barnum that were called upon, often it was Rory as the local cop who was first on the scene and when Stella and Will weren't available, he made it his purpose to assist the kids.

When they left Coolsville to take their mystery solving brand global; Rory had stepped up to support Stella and Will in bringing down Devon Blake. (As Shaggy and Velma were about to find out, Rory survived the bombing by the most fortunate of circumstances.)

"Rory!" Velma rushed forward into his arms and Rory heartily embraced the brunette, followed by Shaggy.

Rory looked completely overwhelmed to see them.

"Velma, Shaggy, I can't believe it's really you, it is SO good to see you again!" he gushed warmly before feeling a small tugging down by his right side.

"Rehem," the Great Dane said crossly, looking momentarily miffed.

"Oh! You too Scooby Doo," Rory hastily added, reaching down to scratch the dog behind the ears fondly.

"Rhat's retter."

An unwelcome thought obviously crossed Rory's mind and he looked worried again. "But where's Daphne? And Freddy? They're OK right?"

He watched Velma and Shaggy exchange glances which worried him further still before Velma spoke reassuringly.

"No, they're fine...Daphne just had some, erm stuff to sort elsewhere and Fred decided to go with her. They're hoping to be here soon."

What Velma had said wasn't a lie as such but it was a very, very flimsy version of the truth that she didn't want to share with Rory just yet.

"Man it's great to see you too Rory, we wasn't sure we were going to be able to see any familiar faces, you know, after like, what happened the other night."

Rory nodded grimly at Shaggy, his jaw set in a firm line. "There's so much to tell you but not here, we need to get off the streets, they seem to have eyes everywhere."

He opened his own car parked on the street as a silent invitation and Velma, Shaggy and Scooby had no hesitation getting in. Shaggy clambered in the front and Velma and Scooby hunched into the back.

Rory drove off slowly, checking his mirrors continuously and glancing out of the window at the deserted streets around them.

"Where were you, when you heard?" he asked. "Stella told me you had been all the way across Europe recently. That's crazy!"

"We had," Shaggy nodded sagely. "As far as Romania but we were actually in Hawaii. What happened man? This is so fucked up, why has everyone left?"

"Things have slowly been getting worse," Rory revealed timidly, "and then we all finally thought we had a handle on it. Stella was _ so _sure. It was set to be the biggest take down Coolsville had ever seen. God that backfired so badly."

"Were you there, Rory? You don't seem to have a scratch on you." Velma observed from the back seat, causing Rory to smile sadly.

"No," he said quietly, "no, I wasn't there, I should have been, I was determined to be, I begged and begged Stella to let me go but she's so stubborn. But, then she actually agreed and I was so excited, I was all set, I was going to be part of Will's tactical unit. I was proud, I'd come so far in just four years...but then Matilda's babysitter got sick..."

"Matilda?" Velma interjected, "you have a daughter, Rory?"

"Yeah," Rory smiled, "I have a daughter," he confirmed, causing both Shaggy and Velma to beam in delight. "A lot has changed around here since you left huh?"

"Congrats man," Shaggy said sincerely, genuinely happy for the young cop who had proven to be such an amazing ally in their early years of Mystery Inc.

"Thank you," Rory said, his eyes misting over as he thought of his baby daughter and how close he had become to being torn away from her. "My wife Felicity was stuck in a meeting so I had no choice but to drop out from the raid...I was putting Matilda to bed when I heard what happened..." Rory carried on driving but his expression was strained now.

"How many," Velma asked quietly, unsure she wanted to know. "How many did we lose?"

"Officially? We still don't know, very few bodies have actually been recovered yet it was such a damn mess but _unofficially?_ We think we're talking upwards of about 18 to 25. There are 22 missing from the teams that went in."

Shaggy made an inexplicable guttural sound and Velma tried to let that news digest. _22 missing._ _Twenty two_ brave men and women who had gone in to bring an end to a reign of terror over a town only to lose their own lives.

She caught sight of Rory hastily chasing away the tears that had appeared on his cheek as he spoke about those lost.

"We got this so wrong," he continued, "they should never have...well, you'll find out, unless you already know?" he asked with a sideways glance at Shaggy. "You know about Devon right?"

"Know that he's behind all this bullshit and has been for a while? Oh yeah we know," Shaggy replied venomously.

Rory nodded, seeing the equally murderous expression on Velma's face in his mirror.

"For the record, it never sat right with me, and I told them that, after what happened at Oakland and then at the rehab place with Fred..."

He immediately saw the shock on Velma's face and knew this was obviously not part of the Devon knowledge they were privy to.

"Rehab?" Shaggy said questioningly.

"Ah shit," Rory sighed, "look we're here now guys, someone else will give you better answers."

Velma peered out into the darkness, unsure exactly where 'here' could be and was now feeling incredibly shaken by Rory's statement. They passed a couple of dark buildings and eventually a small booth, where a man in full combats leered at Rory.

"I.D." he barked emotionlessly and Rory produced some papers that appeased him and let the car further in where Rory eventually parked.

"Where are we Rory?" Velma asked a hint of worry creeping into her voice, "why have you brought us here?"

"To get you all the answers," Rory replied mysteriously, "it's an old military base, we've been using it for a while and since the bombing, it's been our only secure base...Come on."

Rory exited the car quickly and headed to a door, giving Shaggy and Velma little choice but to follow him. They jumped out of the car and caught up to Rory just as someone opened a slit on the iron door panel and a pair of eyes peered out suspiciously at Rory.

"Dewhurst," he identified himself and the door swung gratuitously open, revealing another darkly clothed man and a long corridor stretching beyond him.

"Rory?" the man said curiously, eyeing Shaggy, Velma and Scooby.

"Don't you recognise them Bill? It's Mystery Incorporated, well partial anyway."

The man's eyes widened at Rory's statement before he nodded and let them pass.

Rory marched down the corridor at quite some pace and the others scrambled to keep up with him.

"Rory! You can't just drop a bombshell like that and not say anything else!" Velma berated him furiously as she followed him. "What about what happened at Oakland?! What do you mean by the rehab centre?!"

Rory didn't say anything, just carried on walking, letting Shaggy and Velma's fears build. Rory was an old friend but it suddenly occurred to Shaggy, he could have been turned, could he be leading them into the hornet's nest, was he actually taking them to Devon?

"Rory, please," he begged, "how do we know we can even trust you? Where are you taking us?!"

Rory turned around sharply but with no menace on his face, instead he clasped Shaggy's shoulder gently but firmly. "You can trust me Shaggy."

Rory stood before another wrought iron door and knocked loudly three times. This time, instead of being opened by someone in dark combat military gear, it was opened by someone in scrubs and surgical gloves, who merely nodded at Rory in acknowledgement.

Velma peered beyond the man to see the room, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the multitude of beds that were in the room and the team of medical staff present with them. A secret makeshift hospital?

She barely had time to take in the harrowing sight of several men in varying states of injury in the beds; About five or six, some heavily bandaged, some completely unconscious, other's visibly missing limbs, it was absolutely horrific but Rory was intent on hurrying them on, eventually bringing them to what looked like more of a private bay.

He pushed the door open but did not venture inside himself, instead beckoning to Shaggy, Velma and Scooby to go in whilst he stood aside.

The room was a little darker but lit up by the machinery that was hooked up to a patient in the bed. The heart rate monitor was beating steadily indicating the patient was stable but there was little movement from whoever lay in the bed.

Scooby curled up in fear immediately, sitting by the door leaving Shaggy and Velma to walk towards the bed.

Their movement was punctuated almost perfectly by the 'beep beep beep' of the machinery as neither wanted to move too quickly. As they overlooked the bed, Shaggy found his hand reaching for Velma's to offer reassurance, and she gratefully took it. The patient was still, hooked up to every part of the machine, a mask over their mouth. As they got nearer, the person's gender became clear, one heavily bandaged hand above the blanket, the other not visible. Dark hair fanned out on the pillow beneath their head, what looked like burns on the visible arm and on their face. The identity completely clear now, Velma choked back a sob and squeezed Shaggy's hand hard. Shaggy reached out to lay a hand on the patient's arm, utterly devastated by what he saw.

"_Oh my god, Stella..."_

* * *

_In Hong Kong..._

Fred immediately squinted at the screen to check Daphne wasn't mistaken. "Stella?" he blurted loudly, "OUR Stella? Messaging Ethan?!"

"It's Detective White," Daphne confirmed hollowly. "They've been in contact since..." she began clicking through to find the earliest contact. "Since not long after we left Coolsville," she said, her mouth feeling terribly dry.

For Fred, all he could feel was a terrible sense of betrayal building and an ominous feeling of doom.

"Well what does it say?" he demanded abruptly.

Daphne swallowed before reading aloud to them both from the most recent email entitled simply: Tonight: Personal

"_Ethan, I cannot thank you enough for all your help, everything you have sacrificed. Without your sources, and everything you have done, I'm quite sure he would have eluded us for much, much longer. You know once the threat is neutralised, it's still not going to be the end of it. There will be reprisals. You know how big the network he has built both here and in Hong Kong. You need to look after yourself Ethan, I mean it! We're cutting the head off the snake but there's still work to do but that's for us, the professionals! The countless lives you've helped save, you should be very proud but this is it for you now Ethan, you promised you would quit when we got him. Well we've got him and I'm going to hold you to your promise Ethan! Get out. Go back to regular journalism. Call your sister, the rest of the gang; the news will break soon, you should all be together when it does. It's not going to be easy explaining what we've hidden for so long but she'll understand in time, they all will. What we did was for the best. Remember that. Go and enjoy the rest of your life, live it to the fullest."_

Daphne's face immediately crumpled when she reached that last line, Fred was deathly pale as he tried to come to terms with the ramifications that email had. "They've been working together, all this time...all these years!" he choked out.

Daphne was reeling, and felt like she couldn't breathe. Mei quickly sensed the severity of the situation and rushed to get the young girl some water.

She handed her the glass before awkwardly turning away, "I think you guys need some time, I'll be in my room," she announced leaving the devastated couple alone in her living room.

Daphne began doggedly reading through some more emails, struggling to take it all in as she broke it down for Fred as her own heart was breaking.

"He's been helping Stella from here, he's the source...he put himself in danger." Tears streamed down Daphne's cheeks and Fred reached over to hold her as she shook in his arms.

"They're talking about Devon right? This whole fucking nightmare here is because of him too? Oh god..." She broke down and Fred held her tightly.

An unwelcome thought suddenly came to Fred, "did he come to Hong Kong to investigate Devon from the very beginning? It sure sounds like it..."

"How could they lie to us?" Daphne sobbed, clicking on another email. "I mean look at this one from not long after we left to go to London."

_Yikes Stell, things are definitely ramping up in Coolsville. It's selfish to say it but I'm glad he's a presence there at least it means he's not going after Daph and the others...we need to keep it that way. Keep me updated."_

"Fred, she said, her voice cracking, "they've been protecting us from the truth all this time. Ethan, Will, Stella...while we've been running around solving silly little mysteries thousands of miles away they've been keeping us from that psychopath...how dare they...it wasn't their choice to make...God I feel so..."

Her voice was becoming more angry now and she even turned on Fred a little unfairly. "You've been speaking to him recently, he must have told you something, have you kept it from me too?"

Fred was wounded by her accusation, "Daph, I promise you, I didn't know, of course I didn't know! You don't think I would tell you?"

"I don't know what to think Fred, this has just knocked me for six. It's one thing for Stella and Will to betray us but _Ethan..."_

"They didn't betray us, they did this for us..."

"They had no right!" Daphne snapped through her tears, "they had _no right..._and now they all could be..."

The realisation hit Daphne hard and she ran to the back door, closely followed by Fred, "I need air."

Fred caught up to her on the porch and sat down next to her, an arm around her shoulder but she shook it off, suddenly unable to face him.

"We still don't know what's happened to any of them for definite," Fred gently reminded her but Daphne still couldn't look at him, instead staring straight ahead into Mei's tiny garden, a haunted look on her face now.

"You don't understand Fred," she said quietly, "this is all my fault."

"Daph, you beat yourself up over this a long time ago," he said reaching for her hand and firmly taking it in his. "You are not responsible for that monster."

"I could have stopped all this," she continued, staring blankly, "I could have _stopped him._"

"He was a powerful man Daphne even if you had gone to the police sooner, you had an uphill task to be believed."

"I'm not talking about then Freddy," Daphne said, finally turning to face him again. "I had a chance to stop him...to stop him hurting anyone else and _I didn't. I let him go." _She looked utterly traumatised now but she had Fred's attention, and he held back a little from comforting her, still holding her hand but in just a little looser grip now.

"_You_ let him go? What do you mean Daphne?" He asked confused.

"He's been free to kill people, to destroy our home town...hurt people we love because _I_ gave him a chance to live," she declared brokenly.

"Daphne..." Fred was bewildered.

"Because of _you _Fred..." she revealed, tears wet on her face, turning to face him.

"Because of me? I'm still not following Daphne. You'll have to help me understand."

"That night, that _awful_ night at the factory, even before Shaggy and Vel got there...I managed to get a gun on him, he had just told me he killed Ethan and my parents and I was ready...I was so ready to kill that son of a bitch but then he played his final card..."

"No..." Fred said quietly, anticipating what Daphne was going to say now. "No Daphne...please say you didn't...not for me..."

"What choice did I have?" Daphne shot back angrily. "He was going to kill you!"

Fred dropped her hand abruptly and stood up coldly.

"You barely even _knew _me, I had done something _terrible _to you, the worst thing I could possibly have done. I didn't deserve for you to hesitate for one single second!"

"I _had_ to Fred," Daphne explained, pleading for Fred to understand. "I knew, even then I knew what you meant to me. I had to save you...I dropped the gun."

"Daphne no..." Fred moaned.

"I'd do the same again, even knowing what he's done since, I would always save you Freddy."

"The man was a monster though Daphne, you should have just killed him when you had the chance."

"Not when he had you," Daphne said fiercely.

"My life wasn't that important!" he nearly shouted now.

"It was, it _is... _to me!"

"God Daphne, I can't deal with this..." Fred said, walking away from her now.

Daphne jumped up too. "Where are you going?!"

"I don't know," he said dismissively, "I just need some time to myself, I'll see you later."

"Fred, don't" Daphne said behind him. "You have no idea where we are, it's dangerous to be alone!"

"I'll be fine, Daphne, just...give me some time please," he appealed, "this is..a _lot _to deal with."

Reluctantly Daphne let him leave and went back inside Mei's house. Mei hovered awkwardly in the hallway when she saw Daphne's red rimmed eyes and the fact she was alone.

"I heard shouting, I just came to see if everything was OK, I'm not meaning to intrude on you guys..."

Mei, I'm sorry we've brought all this on you. It's so grossly unfair..."

"Where's Fred?" Mei cut in, her voice full of concern.

"He took off," Daphne admitted and quickly filled in Mei on their argument. "He just needs some time, he'll be back..."

"Come sit down Daphne, you look like you need a drink," Mei Ling offered kindly.

Daphne allowed Mei to sit her back on the couch. "I knew he would react like this, it's why I've never told him," she sighed while Mei poured out two large gin and tonics.

"You can't blame him I guess," Mei offered, "but, for what it's worth...I would have done exactly the same in your position."

"Yeah?" Daphne was a little surprised but then she understood why.

"He's pretty special isn't he?" Mei Ling said, before she could stop herself.

"Yes, he is."

An awkward silence settled over the girls that was suddenly shattered by the sound of tyres squealing hard on the tarmac outside. Doors slammed hard in the darkness, followed by the sound of a car accelerating. Daphne and Mei Ling looked at each other in terror, before sprinting for the front door.

Daphne was outside first and she raced into the road just in time to see the car as it screeched away. She began to shake, rooted to the spot, utterly terrified of the implication of a speeding car in the previously quiet suburb, so soon after Fred had left the safety of the house.

_Please don't be in there, _she silently prayed of the fleeing car. _I can't do this again._

"DAPHNE!" Mei's cry was strained and fear filled and Daphne whipped around to see the young woman on her knees further down the road, where the car had come from.

She hurried back towards Mei, uttering her fears aloud to her as she did so.

"God Mei, I think someone got him! We have to..." but her helpless pleas stilled in her throat as she saw exactly why Mei was knelt on the ground and saw her own terrified expression as she looked up at Daphne wordlessly.

Daphne didn't even have a moment to celebrate her fears about Fred being kidnapped again, were unfounded.

Instead, her eyes travelled beyond Mei to take in a far worse sight. Obviously dumped from the speeding car, Fred was now lying in the road, blood and mud caked on his still face as he lay absolutely motionless in the once again quiet road, punctuated only now by the sound of two desperate women's cries of anguish.

* * *

To be continued, please rate and review!


	10. The Hardest Part

**A.N. Thank you so much for everyone who has taken the time to give feedback on the story so far. It really means so much! This wasn't an easy chapter to write and this is where the 'M' nature of the narrative really comes into it's own but nevertheless I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**_Coolsville._**

Velma stared wordlessly at Stella in the bed, aware that Rory was watching on from the doorway. Whilst it was undoubtedly a relief to see Stella was at least alive, she wasn't taking very much comfort from the detective's current condition.

Stella White's eyes were closed, with burns visible on the left hand side of her face and arm. Her other arm was tucked under the blanket. Steeling herself, Velma gently peeled back the layers and immediately wished she hadn't; clearly what they could see had been Stella's _good_ side. This arm was heavily bandaged from the shoulder down, all the way to her hand that was severely strapped up. Velma suspected her covered right leg would reveal similar injuries or worse. Her grip of Shaggy's hand tightened unconsciously.

Rory came and joined them now, looking as equally distraught as they now felt.

"Her right hand is a mess," he explained quietly, "she lost...erm...part of it in the impact."

Shaggy's stomach recoiled when he heard that bit, staring at Rory in horror.

"Is she..." Velma tried her best to look unfazed, but was failing miserably. "Is she conscious right now?"

"Yes, she is, she's been in and out of consciousness for a while, we keep sedating her though, she needs the rest."

"Has she spoken?" Velma asked. "Does she remember what happened?"

Rory glanced over at Stella, afraid that she might suddenly awaken in this moment and he ushered the two of them back outside, his expression was incredibly pained.

"She suffered a huge concussion as a result of the explosion, she's experiencing lots of problems with short term memory and her hearing. She remembers nothing of what happened after they went in." Rory confirmed grimly.

"Oh man," Shaggy sighed. "Poor Stella." He stole one more look at Stella's still form before he turned to Rory hopefully. "So Will's here too, right? In another little ward somewhere, you just haven't shown us yet?"

At the mention of Will's name, Rory's strained face crumpled further and he didn't have to say any more.

"No," Shaggy reacted, his eyes widening as he found himself slumping against the wall hard. "No Rory, please say no..."

Rory looked utterly shattered, as he confirmed what the whole gang had feared from the moment they got news of the attack. "He...and his team...they went right in where the bomb had been hidden. He...didn't stand a chance."

Velma felt numb with grief; Will Barnum had gone from cynical hardened detective to embracing every last thing about their crazy crime fighting crusade. He had been there every step of the way in Coolsville. In fact, both he and Stella had become almost like some kind of weird surrogate parents to a gang of youths that between them had very little of their own family left. And now she was critically injured and he...was gone. And it was all because of Devon Blake.

She let out a shrill scream of pain that surprised even herself, and found herself collapsing into Shaggy's arms. He gently shushed her, with his hand over her mouth as Rory looked at them frantically.

"She doesn't know! She keeps asking about him, but she doesn't know. I can't tell her, she's so weak, it will destroy her. But...I know...seeing you guys will lift her spirits no end."

Velma's grief rapidly spiralled into anger and she turned on Rory speaking in a furious whisper. "You brought us here because you wanted _us_ to speak to her?! The very people you and she, and everyone else, has _betrayed _for the best part of two years?!"

"I told you, I never agreed with them, but they had their reasons," Rory said defensively.

"Oh good! Well, I can't wait to hear what those reasons are, because it doesn't look like it turned out very fucking well does it?"

"Relma, Rhaggy," Shaggy was the only one alert to Scooby Doo's observations, and followed his gaze.

"Zoinks! Er, guys..."

But Velma was in her stride now, and ignoring Shaggy, she channelled all of her grief into an angry outburst at Rory. "You told us in the car that this went far deeper than we even know about! How about fronting up and telling us exactly _what_ happened at Oakland and at the rehab centre Rory! People are dead, people we ALL care about! Stop trying to protect us or whatever bullshit excuse they peddled...this has gone..."

"GUYS!" Shaggy abruptly interrupted her rant now, and Velma finally took notice of what direction Shaggy's anxious glance had been cast in, he spoke with a very nervous tremor in his voice.

"I think she's awake..."

* * *

_**In Hong Kong...**_

Mei Ling leaned over Fred carefully, while Daphne anxiously hovered over her shoulder, the panic and fear was clear in Daphne's voice.

"Is he dead?"

Mei lowered herself all the way down to his face, tilting her head so her ear was directly above his mouth, and so she could look down his chest. She was gratified to feel his wispy breath on her cheek and to see his chest was still rising and falling.

"No, he's still breathing," she confirmed, her own relief obvious as she watched Daphne's tense expression visibly relax at her words.

"Oh thank god," the redhead breathed, letting out a huge sigh. "Thank god..."

Mei set about slowly trying to rouse Fred, gently shaking his shoulder and calling his name loudly. She was further cheered by groggy signs of response from the blond. His eyes remained closed but he tried to speak and Mei shushed him.

"He's okay," she confirmed to Daphne, grabbing him now under his shoulders, being very careful not to aggravate his existing shoulder injury. "Help me get him inside," she urged and Daphne duly grabbed her boyfriend's feet.

Despite their slight statures, Mei and Daphne were deceptively strong but even with their combined strength, dragging Fred was definitely a struggle for the two young women.

With Fred slowly coming round, though groggy and disoriented, his body was like a dead weight and as they carried him back inside Mei's house, she caught sight of his matted blond hair stained with blood. She realised he must have taken a hefty blow to the back of his head that had caused his concussed state.

They got him to the sofa, and Mei grabbed some towels to rest his head on. She then started to clean the mud and blood from his face. It was quickly apparent the biggest concern was the blow to the head and that the blood and mud on his face that had so terrified the girls initially, was mostly just superficial cuts sustained from falling from a car at some speed.

With Fred becoming fully conscious now, he immediately tried to sit up, but both girls pushed him back down again. He turned his head to the side to vomit instead, groaning wildly.

Some of it landed on Daphne's shoes, and most of it on Mei Ling's pristine white rug, but it was clear that both girls were far more preoccupied with their unwavering concern for Fred to even notice.

"Fred!" the panic in Daphne's voice had dropped down an octave or two, although she was obviously still very worried. "What happened?!"

Fred could feel the sticky wound at the back of his head and raised a hand to touch it curiously. His head in general was pounding and he fought the urge to be sick again.

"I'm not too sure," he admitted. "I went for a walk and was suddenly aware of someone close behind and before I could react, I think they must have hit me with a rock or something. I'm pretty sure I must have blacked out, because the next thing I remember is falling out of a car?"

"Whoever it was, they whacked you very hard," Mei confirmed, examining the back of his head gently. "It's pretty much stopped bleeding now but you're going to have quite the lump."

"Great, it will go brilliantly with the gunshot wound to my shoulder," Fred replied glibly.

"This isn't funny Fred! You had only been gone less than half an hour. They must have tracked us from the city and then bided their time. I told you it wasn't safe!"

"You were right Daphne, whoever is after us, they clearly have the means to find us anywhere," Fred said seriously.

"And that doesn't terrify you?" Daphne asked. "You got lucky...again! They could have taken you or..." Her eyes welled up as she thought of the worst alternative and Fred took her hand, looking her straight in the eye.

"I'm here Daphne, that's what matters," he replied softly. "I'm OK."

Mei's eyes flickered away from the hand holding, and she caught sight of something for the first time since they carried him inside and she stiffened a little.

"What's that on your jacket, Fred?"

A feeling of unease instantly settled over the three of them after Mei pointed out that something had indeed been pinned conspicuously to Fred's jacket. A small, clear plastic baggie was hanging out of his breast pocket. Fred immediately knew it hadn't been there before.

He grabbed the bag from his pocket and saw inside there was a folded white piece of paper. He squeezed the bag open and realised the note was also wrapped tightly around another item.

The girls watched tensely as he unrolled the note to reveal the tiny item inside.

"Oh boy," he said quietly, already feeling apprehensive about what the USB was going to contain.

Daphne stared uneasily at the USB stick that had obviously been planted by the same people that had attacked Fred. Fred carefully placed the USB on Mei's coffee table and unfolded the note. Daphne tried to stay calm but she knew her voice was shaky as she asked what the note said.

Fred read it to himself first and then visibly swallowed hard.

"Uh," he hesitated, not entirely sure he wanted to share the contents with Daphne, or with Mei for that matter, but Daphne snatched it from his hands anyway, paling as she then read it aloud.

**STOP TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ETHAN.**

**THIS WAS HIS FATE.**

**UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO BE THIS BOY's FATE TOO;**

**LEAVE CHINA IMMEDIATELY.**

**WE LEFT YOUR BOYFRIEND ALIVE THIS TIME. **

**THERE WILL NOT BE A SECOND CHANCE. **

**LEAVE NOW. **

"Oh my god," Mei Ling said in a horrified whisper, staring at the typed threatening note that had now fallen to the floor from Daphne's numb fingertips.

Daphne was frozen for a few seconds but soon reacted typically dogmatic.

"Give me the USB," she demanded, but Fred held it back from her reach reluctantly.

"No, let me look at it first, you don't know how bad it could be, I'll watch it first..."

"No!" Daphne reacted furiously. "Stop trying to protect me Freddy, I _need _to know what happened to him! At least we might finally get some answers! Please Fred, I have to watch it." She begged him with impassioned eyes.

Fred loved Daphne's fierce and passionate personality and knew that it was absolutely pointless even trying to argue with her, despite how much he desperately wanted to. Every last instinct was telling him to prevent her viewing what was on this USB.

_This was his fate._

He felt utterly helpless; both from that he was unable to shield Daphne from what he was sure to be a deeply unpleasant truth about Ethan, and also for the fact that it was _his_ life they were blackmailing Daphne with.

Instead, he handed her the stick and she inserted it into the laptop, which had just about enough power left. There was one single file contained on the device and it was ominously entitled: 'Watch Me.'

Fred pulled himself upright on the sofa and he steeled himself the best he could, his arm draped around Daphne, but _nothing_ could have prepared the youngsters for the shattering horror of the video they were about to witness.

Daphne clicked 'play', then settled back in Fred's arms as the video came to life on the tiny screen, Mei was stood quietly behind them, unsure she wanted to watch, but unable to turn away.

The scene opened inside a vehicle that was speeding down a dark road, with the sound of men talking in Chinese, immediately detectable in the background. Fred turned the volume up on their chatter, turning around to Mei expectantly as they watched the footage and she began to concentrate on the dialogue.

"Only one thing seems to be important to them...target," she said grimly. "They're talking about a target."

The footage continued inside the vehicle for a few more minutes before the phone camera switched around to take in the road they were travelling down. It was pretty empty with the ocean visible from time to time at the side, as the vehicle continued to drive. The chatter suddenly increased frenetically and both Fred and Daphne found themselves tensing as a motorbike came into view further along the road, ahead of the car.

"It is he," Mei translated stoicly. "It is he."

The vehicle increased it's speed to surely dangerous levels now, until it was almost alongside the motorbike. The phone camera was now passed to someone else and Fred felt himself go completely cold as the passenger window was now slid down, suddenly having a _very_ bad feeling how this story was going to end.

The helmeted rider on the bike was startled as the car swerved dangerously close.

He could never have seen it coming.

It all happened so soon.

"Don't look Daph!" Fred screamed a split second before it happened.

He squeezed his own eyes shut and pulled Daphne firmly against his chest in time so that she didn't _see_ the sickening impact, but they all heard it. They heard the shocking sound of a gun discharging, the crack of a bullet whipping straight into the rider's helmet. This was followed by the bone chilling sound of the bike smashing into the reservation, and with both bike and rider then crashing over the edge. There was the sound of cheering from within the vehicle and then the video stopped abruptly.

Mei was stood with both of her hands over her mouth, scarcely able to believe the savagery she had just witnessed in her own living room. She didn't know the unfortunate person who had just been executed in the worst video nasty but that wasn't the case for poor Fred, and especially Daphne.

They were still wrapped up in each other's arms, too shocked to react any further, until Daphne started to hyperventilate and jumped out of Fred's arms before he could stop her. He was of course reeling himself, but he hurried to find her.

Daphne had collapsed onto the porch, and finally released the grief she had been holding within, from the moment she had been told Ethan was missing. From the moment that she received the report of his bike being found at the bottom of the cliff, she had known deep down what his fate was. But she hadn't allowed herself to accept it. Instead, for so long, she had forlornly hoped that he was still alive; that hope had now been stolen from her in the most brutal way imaginable.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to find an equally grief-stricken Fred knelt beside her. She threw her arms around him, and he held her tight as her whole body shook with sobs. Angry tears also streamed down Fred's cheeks. It wasn't enough for the perpetrator to just kill Ethan; whoever was responsible didn't just want Daphne and Fred to have the knowledge that Ethan was dead.

They wanted them to suffer too.

The ultimate feeling for both of them was a tidal wave of grief right now, but the anger was already bubbling away underneath. Someone had executed Daphne's brother and then revelled in the brutal nature of it, and now they were using her love for Fred to ensure that they would back down from searching for the killers.

As if it would ever be that simple.

Daphne and Fred had a very good idea now who was responsible, and if Devon Blake thought a couple of threats was enough to dissuade them, he was wrong.

Dead wrong.

Daphne clung tightly onto Fred, her tears soaking into his shoulder, he stroked her back, completely overcome with anguish himself, but he pushed himself to be that tower of strength he knew she so desperately needed right now.

"Just let it all out," he encouraged gently.

Mei appeared at the door, hugging herself, she looked completely overwhelmed herself, still recovering from what she had unwittingly witnessed too.

"Um, I'm so sorry guys," she offered her condolences awkwardly. "I can't even begin to imagine what you two are going through right now."

Daphne stopped sniffling and looked at Mei, and despite her own heartbreak, her heart went out to her. Mei Ling had answered one bizarre, desperate phone call from her ex, and then since that moment, had inadvertently had drama and danger brought right into her life. From treating her ex boyfriend's gunshot wound, and then a further attack on his life on her doorstep, to bearing witness to the kind of violence usually reserved for gangster movies, Daphne and Fred's arrival had been an absolute tsunami.

"God Mei," Daphne's voice trembled. "I'm so sorry we brought all this on you, all this...horror."

Mei shook her head resolutely. "Don't even worry for a second about me, I'll be OK. Look, you're both welcome to use my guest room tonight. Take as much time as you need."

Once again touched by the young woman's selfless kindness, Daphne got up and hugged Mei warmly.

"Thank you so much," she whispered, her eyes puffy and blotchy as she thanked Mei for her overwhelming hospitality. She slowly wandered into the small neat bedroom, and Fred and Mei Ling watched as she curled herself up onto the bed. Fred gently closed the door, promising Daphne he would be in in a moment.

Fred turned to Mei now, his arms folded and his expression looking more stoic but Mei could see the genuine pain in his eyes.

"You don't have to do this Mei," he said quietly. "We should go. Every second we're staying here, it puts you in danger and that isn't fair. In case it wasn't obvious before, that tape proves without a shadow of doubt exactly how much jeopardy we're in here."

"Fred Jones," she said quietly but in a fiercer tone. "You reached out to me to help you, and that's exactly what I'm doing. If you think I'm going to just give up on you now, well you're very much mistaken." She jutted out her chin in defiance.

"I appreciate everything you've done for us Mei, but providing us shelter, puts a target on _your _back too, and I will not allow you to put yourself in harm's way just to help us! They know we're here, what if they come back?"

Mei sighed before beckoning to Fred to follow her, "come with me."

Fred glanced in at Daphne and was relieved to see she had already managed to fall asleep. He hastily followed Mei Ling before she paused at an unremarkable looking bookcase in the corridor.

She looked at Fred peculiarly, before reaching forward to pull at a book, and the entire bookcase swung forward to reveal a hidden room.

And Fred couldn't help himself and laughed. It started as a giggle but suddenly he couldn't stop and it developed into a longer belly laugh and he had to bite down hard on his lip to stop himself.

Mei Ling was staring at him in astonishment, fearing perhaps his grief had now descended into mania and Fred quickly explained, unable to hide the grin.

"God Mei, you wouldn't believe how funny that is to me! The amount of haunted houses the gang and I have been in over the years, and every _damn_ time I bet Velma we'll find some hokey secret passageway, and every _damn _time she wins that bet and now _finally_ there _is_ a secret passage and it's opened by _a fake book! _And she's not here to see it! Do you mind just opening and closing it again so I can film it?" he asked somewhat giddily, producing his phone from his pocket.

Mei continued to look very unsettled by the outburst but agreed, pressing a switch on the back of the bookcase so it slid into place again noisily. She repeated the book tug and Fred filmed it all gleefully as it opened again.

"Thanks."

"Fred, are you OK?" she said, squinting at him in alarm.

"I'm fine, I really needed that laugh to be honest, I can't remember when I last laughed like that," he said sadly and Mei nodded her understanding before leading the way into the room.

Fred eagerly followed her and then stopped in his tracks when she put the light on.

"Er Mei?" he said, looking around the room in awe at the weapons on display and the certificates and photos on the wall that were evidence of Mei's hidden prowess.

Mei turned to him with a slight smile and hint of embarrassment.

"What? You think after what happened to me in America, that the first priority back home, wouldn't be learning how to take care of myself?"

Fred walked around the room, marvelling at the photos of Mei Ling's secret martial arts abilities.

"Mei, this is incredible," he enthused, reading about how Mei became the most decorated female fighter in the academies' history, and he gingerly fingered the tip of a particularly potent looking blade.

"I know I don't look like much," she said shyly, gesturing to her slim frame. "But I learned how to turn my body into a weapon and how to fight properly," she said proudly, pulling out a sword.

"Unreal," Fred whistled.

"That attack earlier caught me off-guard, but you and Daphne have nothing more to fear tonight, I will look after you." She declared, doing a little bow to him.

Fred felt a huge swelling of emotion in his chest, and a tremendous amount of love and gratitude towards Mei Ling.

"We really landed on our feet when I called you, didn't we?" he said, still looking at her fondly when they returned back outside the guest bedroom.

"I'm just glad I can finally pay something back for you saving my life all those years ago," Mei explained. "You need to rest too Fred. Don't worry, I've got your backs," she added, cheekily brandishing a small sword. "Just in case."

Fred hugged her close. "Thank you Mei Ling, for everything." He was about to go in the room when he paused and turned back to her and gently kissed her on the cheek, there was no romance in the gesture, it was pure gratitude, but even so, Mei found herself blushing deeply.

"Good night Fred," she said softly.

* * *

By dawn the next morning, the emotionally exhausted trio hadn't suffered any further attack. While Daphne had slept fitfully in Fred's arms, Fred had barely slept a wink. He was just too consumed with his feelings over Ethan's death, plus the guilt that wouldn't go away about bringing Mei Ling into this whole mess, despite her evident prowess in the self-defence stakes. It still wasn't fair; as gifted as she clearly was, the level of danger they were facing was unparalleled. Even if his mind allowed him a reprieve from the monumental feelings of guilt and grief overwhelming his brain, he found himself lying awake plotting what their next move would be.

Mei Ling meanwhile, had been on high alert throughout the night, reacting to every single sound in the house. She was determined to protect Fred and Daphne, but she couldn't forget that brutal video. She would never have admitted it in front of Fred, but she was frightened. She was relieved when the sun streamed in the next day, she didn't feel quite as vulnerable as she had done in the dark.

She passed by the now open door where Fred and Daphne were resting and glimpsed them asleep, embraced tightly together; Daphne was curled with her back against Fred's front, her head resting lightly on his outstretched arm and his other arm was locked securely around her waist.

_They're just too goddamn adorable for words _Mei thought, with a smile. _He will do anything for her. _She found herself thinking about how it was absolutely horrific what they were having to go through and the things they had already endured. She shook herself to stop staring and carried on through to the kitchen, making tea before heading into her bedroom, showering and changing into her work uniform.

When she returned, the pair of them were sitting at her kitchen table, looking tired, with pale expressions clutching mugs of tea each.

"I'm on shift soon," she told them apologetically. "I can drop you somewhere if you want? What are your plans?"

Fred glanced at Daphne, who nodded in relief at his response as he clutched her hand.

"It's about time we go home," he announced.

Mei Ling was also relieved, as she had feared stubborn Fred wouldn't back down so easily.

"I think you're making the right decision Fred," she commented, and Fred gave a curt little nod. "It's not running away, but the danger you're in now, only a crazy man would stay."

"Sure, could you take us somewhere near the Ramada?" Fred requested. "I don't want you to get too close but we have to go back, all our travel documents are in our room."

"No problem at all," Mei confirmed and soon they were all in the car, a nervous tension hanging over them all as Mei drove carefully. Any time a car did anything remotely suspicious, Fred's nerves were heightened, bracing for an ambush, but they managed to make it a few blocks from Daphne and Fred's hotel and Mei pulled cautiously into a side alley.

Daphne and Fred exited the car, closely followed by Mei. First, the girls embraced each other and then Fred and Mei. "You take care of yourselves, you hear me?" Mei instructed them. "Don't take any unnecessary risks. I want you to call me when you get back."

She released Fred and climbed back into the car, looking at the pair with overwhelming sadness. "I am sincerely so sorry for your loss," she told them before she drove away.

Daphne watched her and then hugged Fred close. "What a woman," she murmured.

"Amen to that," replied Fred as they began walking the back streets to their hotel. "If we can find a service entrance, I think we'll be able to sneak in," Fred confirmed his plan to Daphne.

"Great," said Daphne, "but then what? How are we going to get the airport? I don't think we can trust a taxi and I don't mind walking but it's just a bit _too _far."

Fred scoped out what he was looking for, finding a plausible route to get into the hotel, as staff changed sheets by a service entrance. "Get ready," he told her.

But Daphne was impatient for an answer and tugged at his sleeve. "Well?" she asked him.

Fred sighed, before giving her a very strange look.

"We're _not_ leaving, Daphne."

* * *

**Uh oh. Looks like Mei Ling was right about Fred's stubbornness. I'm aware we're only really glimpsing a bit of events in Coolsville, but we're about to get a big pay off with Shaggy and Velma's story next time. Please rate and review!**


	11. Lie to Me

** A.N. -**

**Hello! Since the last update our world has changed drastically and I feel if I can provide any sort of escape from the situation in the form of some 'entertainment' I guess, I will do so. Like for many of you, my everyday life has completely changed, just one day a week now working in school and the rest, free time. Turning back to my story has provided me with a mental release, an almost carthatic feeling so whenever I feel the inspiration I will write. **

**Back to the story, and there has been a big focus on Fred and Daphne recently so it's time to check in with our intrepid trio in Coolsville now. Some truths are about to be outed here too and it's not going to be easy to hear for anyone...**

* * *

Shaggy, Velma, Rory and Scooby all turned to stare at Stella in alarm as she roused herself suddenly in the bed.

Her usually authoritative voice was undeniably weaker as she attempted to focus on the blurry figures that were assembled awkwardly in the doorway.

"Rory, is that you? What's going on?"

Rory turned to Shaggy and Velma with a pleading look on his face, and the pair of them reluctantly stepped forward again towards Stella's bedside.

"I brought you some visitors, Detective." Rory revealed softly, but Stella had already recognised the very familiar features of the tall boy, petite woman, and of course, the Great Dane.

"Velma? Shaggy? Scooby?" Stella stared at the approaching trio in disbelief. "You shouldn't be here, it's not safe!"

To their shock, her immediate reaction on confirming it really was them, was to burst into tears.

"Stella, it's okay," Velma said. "We're actually fine." She wanted to comfort the injured detective but couldn't let go of her anger yet.

Shaggy saw Stella attempt to look beyond them and fielded her obvious question about where Daphne and Fred were, before she could even ask it. "They're fine too," he said abruptly. "They're in Hong Kong."

Stella's facial expression dropped even further in alarm, before Velma added pointedly. "They went to find out why Ethan disappeared."

At that revelation, Stella covered her face in despair, raising her bandaged hand to her face before turning to Rory, looking incredibly pale and strained.

"Rory, would you mind giving me the room? The kids and I have a _lot_ to discuss."

"Of course Detective," Rory replied, stepping from the room and closing the door behind them.

Shaggy and Velma were still stood tensely by the bed so Stella waved them wearily towards the plastic chairs, "go ahead take a seat guys."

Shaggy sank down but Velma remained standing. "No thanks, I'm good," she told her frostily.

"Ri Rella!" Scooby said, desperate to break the tension and it worked causing Stella to stare open mouthed, and then laugh slightly.

"Told you it was true," Shaggy said but there was no smile on his face. Both he and Velma remained stoic. Stella's smile disappeared as quickly as it had formed and Scooby flopped to the floor again, disappointed.

"Velma, Shaggy, I can tell from the expressions on your faces that you know exactly what's gone on here. I cannot apologise enough for keeping you in the dark, I made a judgment call that I thought was the right one."

"I just want to know one thing Stella, how long? How long has Devon _really_ been back?" Velma asked tensely.

"The whole time," Stella whispered in shame. "Since before the moment you left."

Velma nodded tersely, like she had been expecting that reply. "And Ethan?" she countered."Since something bad happened to him in Hong Kong not long after _this..." _she gestured around her to the bunker and the bed. "It's not too much of a stretch to guess that he's involved in this whole sorry mess too, am I right?"

Stella nodded sadly, still coming to terms with the fact that something 'bad' had happened to Ethan too. "Ethan, he, he found out what happened at Oakland...he's been a part of it ever since."

"What happened at Oakland?! People refer to 'Oakland' and 'something' happening at Fred's rehab centre without actually explaining a damn thing!" It was Shaggy's turn to be frustrated now, and his anger took Stella by surprise, having only really known him as the laid back character of the group.

She looked at Shaggy with regret pooling in her eyes, "you're right Shaggy, you deserve to know the truth..."

* * *

_Coolsville Police Station, two years ago. __(Exactly two days after Stella and Will interviewed Casey Costello in prison)_

"_Detective White?" The station receptionist poked her head around Stella's office door nervously. "There's a young man demanding to see you. He's pretty agitated, what do you want me to do?"_

_Stella looked up from her screen to give Betty her full attention._

"_Did the young man give his name, Betty?" she asked calmly._

"_Sure did, he said it was Ethan..."_

_Stella sighed resignedly, scraping her chair back from the desk. "Send him through Betty..."_

"_Detective?" Betty said uncertainly. "Are you sure? He seems pretty aggressive."_

"_I'm sure Betty, please send him in, thank you."_

"_Of course Detective," Betty said, scurrying off to retrieve the volatile visitor._

_Stella stood up from her desk and braced herself mentally in the few seconds it took for Ethan to arrive in her office._

_He stormed straight through, a whirlwind of fury, the door slamming shut after him; Stella took one look at his angry expression and asked the only thing that gave her rise for curiosity._

"_I'm guessing from that look on your face that you know, and god help me I'm curious Ethan, but how did you find out?" she asked calmly._

"_How did I find out?!" Ethan exploded. "So it's true, it really was **him** all this god damn time?!"_

"_It's true," Stella confirmed desolately, causing Ethan to react wildly. He kicked the filing cabinet in her office in pure rage, his hands going to his head before yelling aloud. _

"_Goddammit Stella!"_

"_I know, I didn't want to believe it either, but it's true. I'm sorry," Stella replied. "I don't know what you've heard...but... it's probably worse than that."_

_Ethan stared at Stella incredulously. "What I heard, was that punk Casey Costello, was supposedly bragging to all and sundry inside that he was really the apprentice of some master criminal! __So naturally, I was curious and did a bit more digging, and found that he was claiming to have been working for one Devon Blake. '__What a crazy kid' I thought but then I heard he had supposedly confessed all this to a detective...you."_

"_Your sources are off the hook Ethan," Stella complimented him with a wry smile, much to his chagrin."Yes, Casey was telling the truth," she admitted, the smile rapidly disappearing again. "__The entire Oakland Halloween haunting was Devon pulling the strings all along. I had a little hunch and followed it up by having a chat with Casey. Kid soon folded like a pack of cards."_

_Ethan sat down bodily on the chair by Stella's desk, raking a hand through his tousled brown hair. "So it was a trap for us?"_

"_Yeah. Casey admitted that Devon was banking on the case attracting your attention. It was completely staged to lure you and the kids in. I guess he didn't count on you getting sick though."_

"_Bastard," Ethan cursed, looking sickened._

"_He instructed Casey to bring Daphne straight to him," Stella added._

"_And Fred? The others?" Ethan asked, dreading her response._

"_He told Casey to kill Fred. I'm guessing he would have done the same to the others," she stated grimly._

"_I don't believe this," said Ethan. "It had the grubby hallmarks of Devon all along but why go to all that hassle 'recruiting' a kid like Casey? Why not just do it himself?"_

"_Who knows what goes through that psychopath's mind," Stella said dismissively. "You know he loves the mind games."_

"_You've tried to find him right?"_

"_Oh believe me Ethan, we've done nothing else since, but no luck yet."_

"_Would you even have told me otherwise? How could you even think about not telling us Stella!" Ethan sounded more disappointed than angry right now._

"_You can't tell your sister or anyone else," she warned him adamantly._

"_So you're going to do, what? Lie to them? Pretend everything is all hunky dory? I can't buy into that Stella, no way. From what you've just told me, they're all still in grave danger! He could be anywhere or have anyone working on his behalf."_

"_We've had someone keeping an eye on them all from a distance since we found out, don't worry, they're safe," she told him, but it did little to appease his concerns._

"_And what about Fred? He's in a rehab centre right now. How are you going to keep him safe there?! Devon will undoubtedly try again!" Ethan's voice was dangerously high pitched now, his fear for his friend coming through loud and clear._

_Stella nodded, she would be lying if she said it hadn't crossed her mind immediately when they learned that Devon was still very much a threat. Instead, she tried to bluster a calm reassurance. "The centre are very much aware of the delicate nature of his admittance, there is a strong team around him. The facility itself is one hundred per cent secure. Nobody would be able to breach it."_

_Ethan however did not look in the slightest reassured. "Do you even believe that yourself? There is no telling the lengths he will go to, you know that!"_

"_I do," Stella said. "Believe me, I share your concerns Ethan, it doesn't sit right with me either. It's why I'm in the process of getting one of our guys inside to befriend, and ultimately protect, Freddy."_

"_Good," Ethan blew his cheeks out a little. "That's a positive step. I just can't get my head around this, why has he suddenly surfaced again now?"_

"_Your guess is as good as ours," Stella admitted. "The anniversary is coming up I guess, it's not unreasonable he would choose to pursue revenge at this point after lying low and licking his wounds for a while. Remember, at the moment his influence is all by proxy, he could actually still be a hundred miles or more from Coolsville itself."_

"_What a prince." Ethan shook his head in disgust and then suddenly stood up abruptly. "I have to go."_

"_Go, where?"_

"_Go help, go put some of my 'amazing sources' to work."_

"_Ethan..." Stella warned._

"_Don't worry, I won't tell them," he told her grimly._

"_That's not what I meant. I meant you getting involved. Leave it to the professionals Ethan, he's too dangerous."_

"_I'll be careful, you don't have to worry about me." He walked to the door and paused before opening it, looking back at Stella with an unreadable expression on his face._

"_We've got to get him this time Stella, we've got to win," he declared resolutely._

* * *

_Just two days later, Stella and Will got the news they had secretly feared. While they had made no headway in actually locating Devon, they were successful in intercepting someone loyal to him. After a prolonged session where they eventually 'persuaded him' to talk, they learned something incredibly sinister._

_Undeterred by his failure in Oakland, Devon was still very much intent on causing more misery and mayhem and had indeed, targeted the rehab centre as a starting point. Their informant gleefully taunted them by claiming that Devon had managed to breach the robust security of the facility with a classic Trojan Horse trick. He claimed that a very dangerous associate of Devon's was actually masquerading as a patient inside the centre, with only one nefarious intention; kill the boy._

_The news sent panic crashing through the ranks at Coolsville police department and with Ethan's support, thus began a desperate race against time to find out whether he was telling the truth, and if he was, to then flush out the potential attacker._

_Stella's own man on the inside was kept fully briefed and began his own search from the inside, whilst undercover. Alongside Fred and the undercover agent, four other young men had recently been admitted to the centre, in the days that either immediately preceded or followed Fred's arrival._

_The background checks on each of those patients all checked out initially, but they had been able to put together an extensive package and fake back story for their own agent, Cole. It was not beyond the realms of possibility that an intelligent man like Devon could have embedded his own sleeper agent so effortlessly too._

_They could also have been reacting to nothing, Devon's friend could well have just been calling their bluff, but they were not prepared to take that chance, not when it could be a legitimate and dangerous threat._

_Cole investigated each of the potential suspects but found little to suggest a threat from any of them and the Detectives were also frustrated in their efforts to locate the danger. Was it really all just a bluff? After two weeks in the facility, things were still quiet and they began to dare to believe that maybe it really was safe. Cole was kept on in the facility as a precautionary measure, but they started to let their guard down a little._

_Thank goodness for Fred's sake that Ethan did not._

_Not willing to just accept that Fred was completely safe from harm, Ethan continued to research and stumbled across the true danger. __They had been diligent enough to check the credentials of all recent patients admitted based on the informant's claims, but they had never thought to check out the **staff**._

_Only a combination of Ethan's own diligence and Cole's suspicions saved Fred._

_Around the same time that Ethan found out a staff member had mysteriously transferred from another facility just days after Fred was admitted; Cole had become deeply suspicious about the physio who had been spending a lot of time with Fred alone. After each of these meetings, Fred seemed particularly lethargic and sometimes had a headache. At first. Cole just thought that he was being worked especially hard, but after all the other patients had been cleared as potential suspects, he wasn't willing to completely drop his guard._

_Satisfied that there was no threat from the patients they initially suspected, Ethan didn't see any harm in sharing his suspicions about the newly arrived Billy Rivers, the physio. Billy, whose previous employment details were proving difficult to find. Billy who insisted on one to one sessions with Fred despite other staff members preferring a mixture of group and individual._

_As soon as Stella shared with Cole that question marks had been raised over Billy, alarm bells rang loudly for Cole. He broke into Billy's locker and found an alarming amount of knock out drugs that had caused Fred's drowsiness after their sessions, and even more significantly, vials of poison. __In Billy's car, they found a false trunk containing guns and knives. Billy was swiftly removed from the facility and arrested, where they subsequently found out he was already on the run for murder._

* * *

"Somebody tried to kill him? Are you freaking kidding me!" Velma raged as soon as Stella had finished her recollection. "That whole 'something happened at the rehab centre', that nobody wanted to talk about, was actually 'Devon tried to murder Fred again'?"

Velma and Shaggy were completely aghast by the revelation, and Stella tried her best to downplay it, as it brought up uncomfortable memories.

"It never actually got that far, as soon as the threat was identified, we dealt with it. Fred hadn't actually been given anything more harmful than mild sedatives at that stage, he was physically OK. We kept Cole in there with him as a precaution, but, there was no further danger."

"No further danger...Listen to yourself. You've just admitted that Devon Blake was back behind yet another plot to try and kill one of us! I can't believe you never told us," Shaggy sounded utterly devastated.

"Imagine the panic that would have caused, Shaggy. The facility was the key to Fred's recovery. News that Devon was back and had placed him in danger again, it would have sent him into a backward spiral. I'm not sure he would ever have recovered from it. It was vital to his chances of recovery, that he didn't know what happened."

"And Shaggy and I? Daphne?" Velma challenged. "Was it vital for us too?"

"Will wanted to tell you," Stella continued ruefully. "He was_ seconds_ away from telling you all at the airport."

"I knew something was wrong that day," Velma reflected bitterly. "No way had you guys come all that way just to wave us off on vacation. What were you _really _there for?"

"To protect you," Stella admitted. "We were there to make sure you, and Ethan, safely got on your planes."

Velma nodded her head, looking furious. "Ethan. Yes, what is his part in all this sorry mess? I'm guessing the journalist job in China was just a front."

"Not quite. There was a genuine job, but it was chased on false pretences. After what happened at the rehab centre, Ethan was a man possessed when it came to tracking down Devon and he came up with a viable lead in Hong Kong. The news agency job was his way in. When he got to Hong Kong he took up his true position, in the shadows hunting Devon's empire."

"So he became a spy?"

"Of sorts. He has taken on a number of dangerous undercover missions over the last two years. He has supplied vital intel. through to us back here in Coolsville."

"So that's someone else who has lied to us," Velma said despairingly. "Is there anyone we thought we could trust, who _hasn't_ lied to us?!"

"Velma, it's not like that..."

"Don't Stella! Don't you dare tell us that you did this to protect us! We're not _actually_ kids in case you hadn't noticed."

"Of course not, that vacation, you needed it. And when you extended it, I was ecstatic, it kept you all away, it kept you safe."

"And then you still kept on lying to us. Every time I asked, you said it was fine. Fine! The place was falling apart!"

"You have every right to be angry with us, we thought we were handling it and we weren't, but I will never regret the decision we made to keep you away. Will and I... that's on us."

At the mention of Will again, Shaggy's expression cloudied and he couldn't hide the obvious grief in his eyes. Stella may not have been anywhere near her best, but she wasn't considered a stellar detective for no reason. She caught that flash of grief from both of them and her heart clenched wildly in her chest as a result.

"He's gone. Isn't he?" she asked quietly.

Shaggy and Velma exchanged glances but when Velma looked at Stella again, her expression had lost the anger, all that remained was pain and she nodded, a single tear sliding down her cheeks.

"I can't, and won't lie to you Stella, I'm so sorry but yes, Will is dead."

Stella felt something shatter deep within her, but on the outside she remained resolute. "Thank you Velma, for telling me the truth," she said gently.

Shaggy immediately felt guilty, Rory had warned them not to tell her anything, and here they were blurting it all out the second she was conscious again.

"What happened?" she asked evenly.

Again, they exchanged nervous glances before Velma began to speak.

"You, ah, you were all lured to a building down town. Devon had already rigged the place with explosives. After your teams went in, the bomb went off. Will...his team...they didn't make it. You and others were badly hurt."

Stella nodded painfully, "how many. How many did we lose?"

"Uh, they don't actually know for sure yet," Shaggy admitted morosely. "But Rory said, ahh, at least twenty I think."

Stella was silent in the bed, her eyes threatening to spill the tears but she blinked them back fiercely, angrily.

"GODDAMMIT THAT FUCKING BASTARD!" she suddenly screamed loudly, a howl of rage that sent Rory and the medics scurrying in, as she lost herself to her grief. She thrashed wildly on the bed struggling to breathe, and starting to go into seizures.

Velma, Shaggy and Scooby were ushered from the room by Rory while the doctors tried to bring her back around.

Velma watched on fearfully as Rory turned on them angrily.

"I told you not to say anything! If she dies..." his threat was unfinished, as he was swept up with grief and fear.

"I couldn't lie to her," Velma whispered. "After everything that she just told us, I couldn't lie to her."

Rory saw the ashen looks they were both sporting, their fears for Stella's wellbeing matching his own, he realised it wasn't fair to berate them after the bombshells that had just been dropped on them so he put his arm around them reassuringly as they watched on. "Come here it's okay, I understand. She'll be okay, she's a fighter."

* * *

A couple of hours later, and the prognosis wasn't great, the news of Will and the other officer's deaths had sent her into shock and with all the other injuries she was already nursing, they had induced a coma, the doctor explained to their utter devastation. They kept vigil for a while but it was obvious she wasn't going to awaken again any time soon. Velma felt both physically and emotionally exhausted, Rory however was determined to look out for them in both Stella and Will's absence. He knew they wouldn't have wanted it any other way. "_Protect the kids at all costs."_

"You guys need to get some sleep, you look beat," he told them kindly. "We have beds that you can sleep in here and I'm sure we've got some dog food around here somewhere."

Velma and Shaggy were grateful for the offer and spent a restless night sleeping at the bunker. The next morning there was no change in Stella's state and Velma was refreshed and recuperated with the need to _do something._ No matter how reckless.

Waking Shaggy and Scooby, she quickly unveiled her plan to the dismay of the boys.

"Vel, you know that's stupid," Shaggy argued immediately.

"Rand rangerous," Scooby added.

"We should just do what Rory says and hang tight in the bunker until the FBI get here, or better still, until we finally get word from Fred and Daphne."

It was the unspoken fear that had been gnawing at them, that they hadn't heard_ squat_ from them since they left for Hong Kong. Velma tried to tell herself there was a very good reason for that, it didn't necessarily mean they were in any danger.

"We cannot just sit around and wait!" she protested. "We have to do something. We can't save Coolsville sat in a bunker." She pouted at him and Shaggy couldn't resist that look on her face, that 'Shaggy I need you look' she had perfected over the years. He relented very quickly.

"Fine," he huffed.

Scooby too was reluctantly persuaded and the trio crept out into the early morning sunrise. There didn't seem to be anybody about which made what they were about to do much easier.

Sneaking to Rory's car, which thankfully was unlocked, they climbed in.

"Take two," Shaggy muttered as he hot wired the car, pleased when the engine purred almost instantly.

He drove them slowly towards the exit, heartened when they were almost out of the compound. Just the security gate to go. The barrier was firmly down and he cursed, knowing there was no way that the guard was going to simply _let_ them leave.

He took a deep breath, and began increasing speed as they got nearer.

"Shaggy what are you doing?" Velma warned from the passenger seat but Shaggy could not be dissuaded now.

He pushed his foot down on the accelerator, hurtling towards the barrier at impressive speed now.

"Shaaaaaagggggggyyyyy!" Velma screamed alongside him, squeezing her eyes shut as they came within metres of the barrier now. Scooby, doing likewise on the backseat, had his paws firmly over his eyes now.

Determined, Shaggy continued to accelerate Rory's car and they flew into the barrier, the post snapping on impact and allowing as Shaggy hoped, for them to drive on unimpeded out the gate. The guard was too shocked to mobilise any kind of response and Shaggy kept the speed up for a few more miles until they were a safe distance from the compound.

Velma was still clinging to her seat by her fingertips when Shaggy turned to her with a grin. "And you always made _Fred _the getaway driver huh?"

"Shaggy, that was unbelievable!" Velma praised. "I didn't know you had that in you!"

Shaggy secretly glowed at her compliment but wanted to keep things moving. "How long before they come after us, do you think?"

"I don't know," Velma said. "That's why we have to move quickly, we need to find out exactly where he is." They had seen a glimpse of the old Shaggy, they now needed the 'old' Velma. Velma produced her cell phone in readiness, dialing out quickly.

She composed herself, disguising her voice in preparation. "Oh hi. Yes it is very early. Yes I understand that. Yes I can assure you this is very important and I wouldn't disturb you if the need wasn't urgent. It's _imperative_ we talk to him. A matter of national security. My name? Agent Brennan. Thank you. Oh...he is, is he? And which one?" Velma scrabbled around in Rory's glovebox until she found a pen and a scrappy bit of paper, scrawling down an address. "Okay. Got it. Thank you, you have been most helpful. Your government thanks you."

With a sigh, Velma ended the call, marvelling again at how easy it was to get what she needed, she obviously hadn't lost her touch.

"Well?" Shaggy asked, impressed with her powers of persuasion.

"Well turns out he's_ working,"_ she said to Shaggy's obvious surprise.

"Is that so? Where?"

"Oh you'll love this," Velma said in a tone, which indicated Shaggy was going to find it anything but something to love. "He's working in the cemetery."

Shaggy didn't turn to look at her but his complete lack of enthusiasm was obvious in his reply to that news.

"Oh, _swell," _he sighed.

"Ruh Roh," added Scooby Doo.

* * *

The drive to the cemetery wasn't too long but it allowed time for feelings to bubble to the surface again. They had both been left beyond shell-shocked by Stella's revelations but had dealt with it in different ways.

Shaggy had mostly internalised his thoughts and his over-riding emotions were still ones of upset and regret. Regret that they hadn't been around to help save the town, upset at those they had lost.

Velma had undoubtedly taken it all very badly and after vocalising her feelings last night when they were alone in the bunker, they were threatening to surface again now as they drove.

To her, it was as if they had personally let Coolsville down. The inner fury she felt from Stella and Will for keeping this secret, both initially and then even as the 'war' developed; it threatened to consume her.

"How could they do that to us," she suddenly said aloud. "I still can't get my head around them lying to us on the day we left and then continuing to lie ever since. For _two fucking years_ in fact!"

She was beginning to sound angry all over again, Shaggy kept his eyes on the road but with a sideways glance at Velma. Her head had been lolling against the window gently but she had suddenly sat up sharply as her anger built up again. Her hands gesticulated wildly now.

"I mean two years! This shit has been going on for two years and we had no idea. Did they really think by not telling us they were doing us some kind of favour?!"

Shaggy really didn't want to get into this again, but knew he had to respond, he chose his words carefully.

"You know they were protecting us Velma," he said quietly. "We can't be angry at them for that. They thought they were doing the right thing. Don't forget Ethan apparently made the same choice."

"And look where it's got them all," Velma reflected bitterly. "Dead, dying...almost certainly dead let's face it," she added at Shaggy's sharp look of horror towards her as she contemplated the fates of Will, Stella and Ethan.

"Nobody could have foreseen this ramping up Velma," he tried gently. "They thought they had a handle on it."

"Well they didn't! Not even close! Now everyone in Coolsville is paying the price and we're picking up the pieces. God I NEVER would have gone on that vacation if I'd known. NEVER." She shook with rage now and Shaggy pulled over and reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly.

"And that's why they did it and you know it. They know how much you care about our town. We spent the best part of a year helping to sweep up the mess Devon had caused. You should not feel guilty for taking a holiday. We never planned to stay away for so long. It just...happened," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I do feel guilty though," Velma said. "After the things we did to this town, we had finally put things right. It _felt right._ They don't deserve this."

"Velma, don't even think about blaming yourself..."

"Rits rot ror rault," added Scooby, poking his head between both of the front seats, causing Velma to smile sadly. She patted his head reassuringly.

"I know Scooby, I don't blame myself, I blame that absolute _thunderbastard," _she seethed.

Shaggy raised his eyebrows, "is that even a word?"

"It is now. God Shaggy, we have to find a way to win this time." Her anger had subsided to sadness now, tears sparkled at the very corner of her eyes, as she desperately tried to hold them back. "When that little boy approached us at the bus station Shaggy...we have to do this for them!"

"We will, we will," he murmured and reached across and kissed her on the cheek. "We have to." He fished around in his pocket for a tissue and she gratefully dabbed at her eyes. "We're here by the way."

Velma blinked, then noted the cemetery gates and fully wiped away any further trace of tears furiously, using the mirror to check.

"I am not letting that jumped up little fucker see me upset," she declared resolutely as they hopped out together, Scooby faithfully by Shaggy's side as always.

The three of them walked up to the cemetery gates, needing to shield their eyes from the intense early morning sunshine streaming in as they walked in.

"Huh," Shaggy commented. "It's amazing how entering a graveyard in daylight hours can totally change my outlook on the place. For once, I don't feel afraid!"

Scooby high-fived him in agreement and Velma smiled at them both. "This does feel strange," she agreed. "We're so used to hanging out in graveyards in the dead of the night with some crazy freak chasing us. This is...almost pleasant."

They quickly encountered the head groundsman, who after a polite conversation as to what their business was, pointed them in the direction of the one they desired.

At first, Velma wasn't sure she was going to recognise him in amongst the small gaggle of youths all completing their community service orders, but the sullen young man they had briefly met, soon stood out. He was slightly taller and older looking than the rest and he still had dark bangs covering his eyes.

Velma walked toward him and cleared her throat.

"Casey Costello?"

Casey put his rake down next to the grave he had been tending and turned around in surprise to see a young woman staring at him with some clear familiarity.

"Can I help you?" he asked abruptly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Casey!" He was further taken aback when a very tall man appeared out of nowhere and greeted him as cheerfully as if they were old friends. "You don't remember us? I'm hurt."

Casey studied the boy closely but wasn't coming up with anything. "I guess I don't," he said honestly.

"Maybe you'll remember our dog?" the woman said putting her fingers into her mouth to whistle.

As soon as the Great Dane bounded into view, Casey's mouth went dry in fear. He very much did remember that dog and so that meant...

"Ah man, you're them aren't you? The _great _Mystery Incorporated." He looked at the boy again, he had a goatee going on now but was still uniquely recognisable to anyone in this state at least. "You're Shaggy Rogers," he declared before turning to the brunette and squinting at her. "And you're...Vera was it? Verity?" he smirked knowing he was pissing her off.

She stood unamused, her arms folded. "Velma," she corrected with a scowl.

"Oh yes that's right, _Velma Dinkley._ I remember now. You were the one who unmasked me," he drawled.

"Yes I did. Which brings me to the question, why aren't you still in jail?"

Casey grinned widely at them. "Good behaviour Miss Dinkley. Out early and just some lame community service to complete to boot."

"Oh, that's strange? I heard it was because your rich daddy had intervened on your behalf, no?" Velma commented innocently.

Casey's smile tightened. "Why are you two even here? I heard you've been MIA for two years while everything went to shit."

"You're going to tell us everything you know about one Devon Blake," Velma instructed.

"That guy again?" Casey laughed. "You got the hots for him or something, glasses? You and your mentally unstable blond friend were so desperate for me to be him, as I recall," he finished with a smirk.

Shaggy had stood by quietly while Velma took the lead with Casey, but his subtle tormenting of Velma, and the insult about Fred, caused him to snap, surprising even her with his sudden ferocity.

He pushed Casey hard against the wall, pinning him there tightly, his elbow at his throat.

"Drop the act Casey. We KNOW what you did with Devon and you WILL tell us everything or your ass will be hauled back to prison so fast, your feet won't touch the ground," he threatened assertively.

Casey laughed but with uncertainty now once Shaggy relaxed his grip so he could respond. "Well aren't you full of surprises? And how exactly will you do that?"

"I'm guessing your parole officer will be very interested in that wrap in your jacket right now," Velma pointed out the garment on the floor smartly.

"What wrap in my..." Casey began to respond, but stopped when he saw the dog sitting suspiciously by his jacket and the two grin at him. He realised he had been played. "Oh very good," he hissed angrily. "Fair fucking play."

"I knew you would see things our way," Shaggy said brightly.

"What do you want? Devon hasn't exactly been in touch since I got out of prison and why do you want to find him so bad anyway?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Velma asked with genuine surprise. "How could you not have heard?"

"Oh, don't tell me, he's hurt your friends again? Boy, he sure does hold a grudge there."

"No, the ambush attack on the police officers in Coolsville. You really didn't hear about it?" Shaggy asked.

Casey paled then, showing some genuine emotion now. "Of course I did. The whole of the US and beyond has heard! That was some sick shit. Are you seriously telling me that it was _Devon_ behind that?"

"You seem surprised, I mean your mate Devon is such a stand up kind of guy right?" Shaggy told him sarcastically.

"Look man, I know he did some bad shit and yeh he tried to get me to do some bad shit too..."

"Oh sure, bad shit like asking you to kill our friends!" Velma couldn't hold back the contempt she felt for Casey as he tried to downplay Devon's previous acts of disgrace.

Casey ignored her comment, he still looked completely shaken by the information Devon was behind the attacks, he bit his lip, looking beyond Velma and Shaggy at a point behind their heads.

"I mean holy fuck! They said on the news that the cops were lured there, attacked with grenades and then the building blew up. They think over twenty died? That is so completely messed up. It was _Devon?"_

"It was Devon," Velma confirmed. "And so that's why we're here to see if you have any leads."

"He hasn't. I mean as soon as I got arrested, that was it. He dropped me like a stone."

"So you know nothing, nothing at all?"

"Look I knew he was back on the scene, and things had been put in motion again but nothing on this scale! I told the pretty cop that,when she came calling last month..." A thought suddenly came to him and he looked visibly upset again. "Wait, was she there?"

"Which pretty cop?" Shaggy asked but he already feared he knew the answer.

"Detective White? Is she?"

"She's critically injured in hospital," Velma answered coldly. "Her partner, Detective Barnum is one of the officers that died in there."

To Shaggy and Velma's total astonishment, Casey broke down in tears.

"Oh my god, how could I get involved with someone so _evil?_ I'm so sorry. I wish I could help you but I don't know anything I swear."

Casey's total breakdown came as a surprise to Velma and Shaggy but ultimately it was disappointing.

"Well, that was a bust," Shaggy commented as they walked out of the cemetery and back to Rory's car. "What are we going to do now? Back to the bunker?"

"We could I guess, Rory's going to be so mad at us. Damn, I was sure that was going to be a good lead. What about his first apprentice Greg? Is he even in jail anymore? Might he know something?"

"Worth a try I guess," Shaggy shrugged. "Isn't he in L.A though? Will take a while."

"God, you're right," Velma sighed. "I officially don't know what to do. I wish Fred was here. He would know what to do."

As if by some divine miracle, her cell phone started to buzz and she looked at Shaggy in amazement. "International dialling code!" she said in pure delirium, holding it in her hand like the best prize she'd ever been given. "It's them Shaggy!"

"Well answer it then!" Shaggy urged, eager to just hear his best friends' voices again.

"Daphne!" Velma greeted her joyfully. "Are you guys OK?" She listened to her for a few seconds aware Shaggy was urgently signalling to her. "Hang on Daph, I think Shaggy wants you on speaker...wait...what did you just say? Fred got _what?!_"

* * *

**To be continued. Please rate and review, and I'll see you again soon. Stay safe :)**


	12. Twenty Four Little Hours: Part 1

**A/N: Okay, so I'm going to do something a little a bit different now and it might not work but I'm about to switch up the narrative significantly.**

**Up until now, we have pretty much seen Daphne and Fred's 'adventure' side by side with the time passing in America too and at the end of the previous chapter we finally had the two parts of the gang making contact with each other at last. We will see the outcome of that phone call eventually but what we're going to see first is a jump of 24 hours.**

**Basically, in these 24 hours, a LOT has to happen and rather then let it just unfold, I've decided to tease it out a little more so we will see the AFTERMATH of this day first and then slowly but surely the events that took place will be woven into the present. The reason for this is, there are some pretty seismic events to come and I thought it would be fun to slowly build up in this way with little glimpses and clues offered and then piece it all together, just like you too are Mystery Inc ;)**

**So, last time we saw Fred and Daphne, they were almost certainly going to enter into an argument, with Fred adamant they were staying put despite putting their lives at risk by doing so. Instead, we pick up exactly 24 hours on from this. The 'missing' day timeline will still be told chronologically and will all be in italics. So... "what the heck happened?" is going to be the question as you read...and all will slowly be revealed. I hope this isn't too confusing and be assured if it's hated, I will bin it, never to be repeated ever again ;)**

* * *

**Hong Kong – Present: 7.30 am**

Fred was the first to wake up. He yawned and stretched, for a moment forgetting where he was, and almost rolled off the bank of airport seats he had been resting on. He jolted a little, his immediate reaction being to then look around for Daphne. He was relieved to find her curled up just behind him, on the opposite bank of seats.

He sat up and reached over the seats to wake her, startled when his clothing squelched loudly when he moved. His hair felt damp, straggly and untamed and when he swung himself fully around on the seat, an unmistakable stench then hit his nostrils, and he realised with some embarrassment that the smell was generally him, and almost certainly Daphne too.

It clung to his clothes, which were also damp and had tears in, and he realised that in addition to the sewage smell, he couldn't remember the last time when he actually had chance to shower. Normally neat and clean-shaven, when he touched his chin, he could also feel the harsher bristles of stubble, the tiny hairs clinging to his skin. It all contributed to his unkempt appearance.

"Daph," he shook her, wincing as he got closer to her, recognising the same smell emitting from her; her hair was flat and mussed and yesterday's make-up was smudged and barely visible on her face. "Daph, wake up," he insisted.

Daphne frowned in confusion at first, and then in repulsion as the smell immediately assaulted her senses, and Fred gently kissed her cheek. "I think the smell is probably even worse than we think," he murmured in her ear softly, and Daphne looked over his shoulder to see the passengers staring at the pair of them in disgust. Despite there being plenty of space around them; they were choosing to squeeze in to more densely occupied seating areas, anything to avoid the couple who looked like they had been dragged straight from a sewer.

"Oh god Fred, I'm so ashamed," she said, trying and failing with her fingers to untangle the knotted and unkempt mess that was her hair. She fumbled in her ruined jeans for a tissue, and the small compact mirror she always carried in her handbag. She opened the mirror, and quickly recoiled in horror at her appearance. "Jeepers, I look such a state!" she moaned, while frantically dabbing at her face to remove the remnants of make-up and look halfway presentable again.

"Don't sweat it Daphne, you'll always look beautiful to me," Fred said loyally.

"You're sweet Fred," Daphne sighed, standing up with a grimace now; god, her legs _ached._ She laid a hand on his good shoulder before swiftly removing it, feeling a sticky residue she didn't want to even think about. "But we do both actually smell like a toilet. Come on, we NEED to get a wash before boarding."

They gathered up their meagre belongings, surprised when they found a bag that didn't belong to either of them.

Immediately suspicious, Fred poked at the carrier bag with his foot, surprised when a dress, jeans, men's T-Shirt and two pairs of Converse spilled out.

"Someone's looking after us," Daphne commented, eagerly picking up the dress.

Fred eyed the clothing dubiously, surprised at how easily Daphne seemed to be accepting it.

"We're really not going to talk about what happened?" Fred asked her quietly, and Daphne's eyes instantly glazed over a little.

"We promised not to, remember?"

"But this is insane Daphne!" Fred exclaimed, grabbing her arm, "I can't believe that we're just going to pretend that everything is okay!"

Daphne looked down at his outstretched arm clutching hers, instantly noting the angry red marks around his wrist, a scarring that couldn't be so quickly forgotten or hidden. She calmly fingered the scar, the latest addition to Fred's souvenirs from China.

"It's pretty far from okay, let's face it," she said softly. "Things are never going to be the same again. In some ways I wish we had just got straight on a plane yesterday. Never done we what did, never found out the truth."

"Your intentions were good Daph, we could never have foreseen that things would turn out like..._this."_

**Hong Kong, Yesterday 7.30 am**

_They faced each other in the alleyway, a little distance between them now, it reflected the distance in their thinking. Right now, they were as disconnected to each other as they had ever been._

_Daphne gave a little snort of derision in response to Fred's statement. Her eyebrows were raised and her hands rested on her hips in the same way she always stood when she was annoyed about something. "Oh, I'm sorry Fred, there must be something wrong with my hearing because I thought you just said we aren't leaving?"_

"_I did," Fred nodded seriously._

"_Right," Daphne nodded slowly. "In that case, I think you better call Mei Ling back immediately."_

"_Why?" Fred asked, looking genuinely puzzled._

"_Why?! Because you're obviously suffering from concussion after all! You have to be if you think staying in Hong Kong is even an **option** for us after that note," Daphne exploded all of her anger at him now._

_Fred angled his chin defiantly towards her, ready to stand his ground. "We're not running away this time Daphne. I'm tired of running in fact."_

"_It's not about running away, Fred!" Daphne turned on him in despair. Her hands beat gently on his chest as she desperately tried to make him see sense. "It's about staying alive! They made it clear what the consequences would be, they will KILL you."_

_The naked fear on Daphne's face broke Fred's heart inside, but he remained resolute in his belief._

"_I don't care," he vowed, to her utter disbelief. "I don't care how much they threaten **my** life anyway."_

"_Well I care!" Daphne responded furiously. "I fucking care Fred! Why do you always have to play the hero? Doesn't witnessing what they did to Ethan make the threat even more convincing? Why do you always have to be so stubborn?!"_

_She looked him squarely in the face now,her anguish all too visible on her own._

"_It's exactly because of what happened to Ethan, which is precisely why we **shouldn't** run. These animals MURDERED him in cold blood, and as if that wasn't enough, they then sent you the proof. They REVELLED in his death, taunting you with it, and then threw out a threat to kill ME to keep us in check...so that we'll back down? So they can get away with it? Sorry Daphne, but that cannot happen. I won't allow it to happen. We owe it to Ethan to finally nail this bastard once and for all." Fred spoke with true venom, causing Daphne's anger at his pigheaded attitude to waver a little, she knew Ethan's death would have hit him almost as hard as it hit her._

"_I understand that, truly I do. But I CANNOT lose you too Fred," she said desperately, tears openly running down her cheek now._

"_And you won't," Fred said, his hands clasping either side of her face now, he used his thumb to brush away her tears before speaking again. "Think about this Daphne. This mystery actually doesn't make sense! Think about all the opportunities they've actually had to hurt us. To kill me. Mei Ling was right; if they truly wanted me dead, they've had ample chance to make sure of it. But they didn't. I don't think they actually **do** want to kill us after all, in fact."_

_Daphne stared at him, feeling truly speechless for a moment while she processed what he was saying._

"_That's a pretty bold gamble to make!," she eventually spluttered. "Up until now, maybe they've **let** you live; but ignoring this threat, it's so dangerous, it's so goddamn reckless!" She tried to turn away, unable to look at him._

_It's so **us** Daphne," Fred said gently, grasping her shoulders now, forcing her to look straight at him. "It's what we do. We take risks, we ARE reckless. We never run from the danger. We run headlong into it. Always. We're not going to start running away now. That's what they want us to do, are you really going to let them win like this? What is it they always used to say to us - 'I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you meddling kids.' We can't suddenly let them get away with it now Daphne. We cannot let them get away with what they did to Ethan."_

**Hong Kong, Present**.

Vengeance. She knew that was all that had been driving herself and Fred along this whole time. A desire to see justice done. She remembered her conflicted feelings as she had stood there in that alley. Fred's words were heartfelt and impassioned and they had certainly had an effect. Her fear for Fred's life had threatened to overcome all her other instincts, including the sizeable one that had her thirsting for revenge. She had known then without a doubt that staying would be the single most audacious decision they had ever made. Back then, she didn't even begin to comprehend the consequences such a bold action would bring. She knew now of course. But yesterday, there was such a breathtaking naiveity to both of their actions.

Despite Fred's incredibly strong bluster that the threat wasn't all that severe, she knew even he couldn't be sure. Couldn't be truly sure what reaction their defiance would provoke their enemy into making, and perhaps if they'd known, she would have dragged him kicking and screaming onto the plane herself. But she didn't. And as usual, emotion won the day, and was very quickly followed by an unexpected but welcome passion.

**Hong Kong - Yesterday morning**

_Daphne stood in his arms, lost in thought as she wrestled with her conflicted emotions. Staying now in open defiance of the clear threat; they could be as good as signing their own death warrants._

_But, Ethan had been stolen from her in the most unimaginably horrific of ways, had been executed at his own uncle's behest. A man who after darkening their lives so completely had inexplicably come back for more. More torture. More death. More suffering. Why should he get away with it? Why should he get away with murder? Why should they be cowed by his threats?_

_She realised if they left now, regardless of what happened later on in Coolsville, his death here could remain unsolved forever. She didn't want that, she couldn't bear that thought in fact. Losing him was painful enough, but never being able to seek justice against the ones who had taken him away?_

_Her head snapped up now and she looked Fred fiercely in the eye. He knew her decision had been made and she confirmed it now, typically defiant._

"_You're absolutely right Freddy. We cannot let them get away with murdering Ethan. We need to stay to get justice."_

_Fred hugged her to him, stroking her hair, murmuring a promise into her ear. "I'll still keep you safe, I promise."_

"_And I'll still be here to keep **you** safe," she countered gently. "Remember you aren't invincible," she added, placing her hands around his neck and resting them lightly on his damaged shoulder to remind him._

_Undoubtedly the close proximity was a factor to what happened next; they were virtually nose to nose now but there was also an element of fear for the unknown, they had just made a shocking vow of defiance that could have placed them into unparalleled levels of danger, like nothing they had ever faced before. They needed each other now like never before. _

_Fred looked at her for silent encouragement and then placed his hand on the back of Daphne's neck, drawing her into him. He kissed her greedily, deeply, an intoxicating lust that had taken over his whole body._

_Daphne responded too with an urgency she hadn't felt in a long time, her hands moving from his shoulders to caress through his hair, pulling him even closer._

_Fred responded eagerly to her desire, deepening the kiss and pushing her hard against the wall as their passion grew. Hands were groping everywhere now and they were closed off to everything around them. They just needed each other right now, an uncontrollable need and lust that had built like a fire between them. All of the pent up fears they had harvested while their lives had been threatened, it all came to the fore now in an intense, urgent and fiery need for each other. For those precious, magical moments, all there was; was each other._

Daphne smiled wistfully, remembering that moment, the passion in those few seconds, fearing their lives were in danger and not knowing exactly how much time they had left, would they ever reach that level of desire again?

Fred saw the smile tug at her lips. "What are you thinking about?"

"Yesterday," she replied, causing him to raise his eyebrows slightly.

"Oh yeah, which part?"

"The good part," she whispered, kissing his cheek and Fred instantly knew what she meant. It wasn't like there were too many good things about yesterday to want to relive.

"Oh, that. I enjoyed _that_ part," he grinned.

"I know," Daphne said flirtatiously but instantly regretted it, catching hint of the awful smell again as soon as she moved. "Look," she sighed. "I know we can't pretend that everything is okay. Every time I stop and think about everything that has happened in the past 24 hours, my brain feels like its turning to mush. There will be time to reflect on everything but for now we need to focus on the here and now, and right now, that involves getting ourselves cleaned up!"

She snatched the dress and Converse from the carrier bag, thrusting the rest of the contents towards Fred, before turning on her heel and marching determinedly to the nearest restroom. She tried not to let it bother her as people visibly stepped away from her as she passed but it only got worse.

Several women actually held their hands to their face in disgust when she walked in and Daphne rolled her eyes at them in the mirror as she stood at the sink.

"Oh come on! It's not that bad really."

The rapid exit of the women and about turn of a lady and her young daughter about to enter, said otherwise. Daphne shrugged and turned the water on, immersing her dirty hands in the welcoming flow again and again, and soaping up until they looked clean again.

Like Fred, her wrists were sore and marked and bore the tell tale signs of restraint but there was no scarring on her part.

Next, she lathered up with soap and water again to scrub at her face, relishing in the feeling on her tired and worn skin. Stripping away her old make-up and freshening up her face again made her feel a hell of a lot better about everything that had happened, but what about the rest of her body? The only showers available were for incoming passengers. She caught a whiff of her own armpits and knew she had to do something drastic.

She glanced towards the door but as nobody had come in in the last five minutes, she guessed word had quickly got round to avoid the restroom while she was in there.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she took a deep breath and awkwardly peeled off her crusted jeans, boots and T-shirt until she was standing in just her underwear at the sink, she began to wash herself.

She had just about finished freshening herself up when the door swung open and a young girl stood there open-mouthed at the sight of the dishevelled redhead standing half naked at the sink, a foul smelling stench coming from the pile of clothes by her feet.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Daphne said, mortified. "I thought word had got out to avoid the restroom, and I guess I kind of took advantage and I know I shouldn't, but I had a really rough night last night and I just really needed to freshen up before our flight and..."

"Hey, it's okay," the girl said kindly, interrupting the rambling woman after she had got over her initial shock. "Rough night you say?"

"Oh like you wouldn't believe," Daphne said, hastily pulling on the clean dress that had been left in the lounge."I'll get out of your way now..." she said apologetically, trying to squeeze past the young girl.

"Hey, no rush," the girl replied in a friendly manner, staring at Daphne's bird nest hair. "In fact, let me help you..."

Before Daphne had chance to politely decline, the American girl had pulled open her cabin bag and was setting out a raft of items onto the sink counter. There were various lipsticks and mascaras, a round hairbrush and comb, and most desirably of all for Daphne, cans of deodorant and dry shampoo.

Daphne eyed the haul like it was the best Christmas gift ever, and the girl nodded her head towards it.

"Go ahead, I can't take half of his crap on board anyway because of restrictions. I was planning on dumping most of it in here anyway so, help yourself."

"Thank you SO much," Daphne said gratefully, grabbing the deodorant and spraying liberally all over. "You are an absolute guardian angel..."

"Jess," the girl said with a smile. "Here, let me help you with that hair," she suggested, shaking the dry shampoo can vigorously. "This stuff is an absolute godsend, no hair disaster this baby can't save."

Jess sprayed into Daphne's hair and Daphne slowly teased the hair free with the comb until she was satisfied it looked presentable again. Jess handed her a hair tie and Daphne gratefully swept her newly freshened and unknotted hair up into a tidy ponytail.

She grabbed the pile of clothing, wrinkling her nose at the pungent smell, but also taking a brief moment to mourn a once favourite pair of boots, before pushing them deep into the bin. Jess sprayed the deodorant over the top and throughout the rest room before tossing that in and closing the lid firmly.

"Thanks again," Daphne said, bending down to lace up the Converse. She made as if to leave but Jess handed her a lipstick, mascara and perfume.

"I insist, it's practically the sister code," she declared with another smile.

Daphne quickly applied a coat of mascara and lipstick, and sprayed the perfume decadently on her wrists, rubbing it behind her ears, before handing everything back to Jess and hugging her.

"You have been a lifesaver Jess, thank you."

"It's just a little human kindness. I recognise a damsel in distress when I see one," she joked. "Hey, I didn't get your name?" she said as they walked out together.

"It's Daphne," Daphne smiled, as she saw the confused look on Fred's face when he took in her more than very freshened up appearance.

"Safe travels Daphne, where you headed?"

"Home," Daphne replied wistfully, giving her a little wave as Jess took off in a different direction.

**Hong Kong - Yesterday morning**

_The passion in the alleyway threatened to consume Fred and Daphne. Tongues wrestled for control, and hands found increasingly more daring holds as clothing loosened. They were completely caught up in one another now, groans of pleasure escaping their lips as they essentially devoured one another. They forgot their dire situation. They forgot they were groping in an alleyway in the rush hour in Hong Kong like a couple of inebriated teenagers in their first relationship._

_Someone loudly clearing their throat, followed by a second person's wolf whistle were the cues which had them crashing back to reality._

_At once, they sprang apart guiltily, to find to Daphne's intense shame, quite a little crowd had gathered open-mouthed at the top of the alley to watch their display._

_A group of young boys sniggered behind their phones. A man in a business suit with his wife, who was shielding their two young daughters, had an expression of utter fury on his face. Face fully flushed now, Daphne discreetly adjusted her hair and part of her clothing without saying another word. Fred grabbed her hand and they walked swiftly towards the gawpers, as they had to pass them to get out. Daphne could feel the eyes of the onlookers boring into her, and she kept her eyes steadfastly glued to the ground as Fred dragged her past, unable to make eye contact. She thought they had at least escaped without comment, when the woman simply uttered the word 'shameful' loudly after them, her voice dripping with disapproval, and Daphne cringed into her shoes while they walked faster._

**Hong Kong, Present**

"Wow, Daphne, you look incredible," Fred marvelled as she came back from the restroom. "That's quite some transformation." He greeted her with a hug, inhaling her fresh fruity scent. "You smell amazing, do they sell all that stuff in the restrooms now?"

"No, I had something of a fairy godmother," she admitted. "She let me use a ton of her stuff."

"No way!" Fred exclaimed before his face soured a little. "It's so different for girls. In the men's, I had to beg someone not to call security on me. So convinced they were that I was some hobo, I barely got chance to get changed let alone freshen up properly."

She took a cautious inhale of him and forced herself to smile. "You do smell a _little_ better."

"A little? Gee thanks Daph," he replied ruefully. "Man, I just wish we had been able to take our bags when we snuck back into the hotel...all my lovely fresh clothes just sitting there."

"You know we couldn't risk that, too much suspicion, we could only grab just the essentials." Daphne patted the small bag containing their travel documents, passports and money.

"Yeah, I know, I know. Grave danger and all that..."

Catching the sarcastic tone, Daphne turned to Fred imploringly. "I know this is crazy Fred, but this is our only option. I'm not sure that I understand everything yet either, but going home is got to be a good thing surely? We need Shaggy! We need Velma! If we are to have any chance of beating him, we need to do this _together."_

"Speaking of which, isn't it about time we called them again? And maybe you know, tell them the truth this time?"

He framed it as a question but Daphne caught the bitter tone to that last part, she had made a choice when they last spoke to Shaggy and Velma. She hadn't regretted it yet.

"Sure Fred, if you fancy telling them the truth this time, be my guest. Good luck."

Fred bristled at her aggressive tone but nevertheless, made the move to call them anyway. He hoped it would go better than their first attempt.

**Hong Kong - Yesterday morning.**

_When they were far enough away, Fred turned to her and burst into uncontrollable laughter. Despite the shame and mortification, Daphne had felt at the time and very much still did, she laughed too. It was too long since she had heard that melodious laughter coming from him and she relished in it for a few seconds before playfully swatting his arm._

"_Stop it Fred! That was mortifying!"_

"_God, did you see the way that woman was looking at us? Anyone would think we were actually having sex in the alley in front of her children," he grinned wolfishly at her._

"_Well," Daphne looked up at him through her eyelashes. "It did get pretty heavy, let's be honest. If they hadn't alerted us, I'm not entirely sure where things could have headed..."_

"_Ah, this must be the 'our lives are in grave danger again' make-out session," he said charmingly, moving to kiss her neck again, causing her to tingle all over._

"_Fred!" She reluctantly pulled away, turning her head away. "Be serious. What should we do now? We've moved too far away from the hotel to risk it again at this moment."_

"_Hmm you're right, we'll have to sneak back later."_

"_I think it's about time we checked in on Velma and Shaggy, don't you think?" Daphne suggested as their immediate next course of action. "Before we do anything else."_

_Fred was relieved by her suggestion and became excited at the prospect. "God you're right Daphne, it will be so good to hear from them again, though obviously I'm nervous at to what they might have found in Coolsville."_

_Daphne nodded thoughtfully, with everything that had happened in China, it had been easy to forget about the dreadful situation back home that was the catalyst for their trip in the first place._

"_Let's just hope they're OK first before we have to worry about anything else," she declared._

_Daphne dialled her best friend's number which she knew by heart and leaned back against the wall as she waited for her to pick up. With every unanswered ring, her imagination was running wild with all the worst case scenarios of what could have happened to them. Her eyes met Fred's sorrowfully as she shook her head 'no' at the lack of response._

_Just when she was about to give up, the beautiful sound of a subtle click, indicated that the call had been received after all and she heard Velma's excited voice call her own name._

"_Velma! Oh my gosh, you wouldn't believe how good it is just to hear your voice again," she told her, almost on the brink of tears. She felt Fred place his hand on her back comfortingly._

_Both halves of Mystery Incorporated were eager to check in on each other's status and it was Velma who got in first._

"_Are you guys OK?" she asked Daphne cautiously. Daphne knew they had been out of contact for a lot longer than planned, and Velma and Shaggy would almost certainly have the same concerns about their safety, that they carried about them. The thing to consider though was, how much should they tell them about what had happened. They didn't want to worry them too much knowing that there was not a lot that they could do from the other side of the world. She raised her eyebrows in silent question to Fred, who shrugged, leaving it up to her to decide how much to tell their friends._

"_It's been a bit of a whirlwind Vel," she finally started. "I want you to know that we **are** fine and please don't freak out with what I'm about to say..."_

_She heard Velma move the phone away from her ear, and the sound of shuffling in the background. "Hang on Daph, I think Shaggy wants you on speaker."_

_Daphne decided to just come straight out with it, wincing as she heard herself declare it so matter of factly. "Velma, Fred got shot."_

_Velma was obviously in the process of putting Shaggy into the call too but gasped aloud, thinking she must have misheard her friend._

"_Fred got what?!" she screamed and Daphne heard Shaggy's muffled outburst in the background too. "What the fuck!?"_

_Hearing the outraged shrieks of his friends, Fred took charge of the call now, taking it from Daphne's palm before she could protest._

"_Guys, I'm fine," he tried to reassure them. "It was just a graze to the shoulder, it's really no biggie," he said, watching Daphne roll her eyes next to him at his false bravado again._

"_No biggie?! Fred, I can't believe you got shot!" Shaggy exclaimed. "What the hell happened?"_

"_Listen Shag," Fred sighed. "I'm not gonna lie, it's been rough for Daph and I since we got here. We've been caught up in a few, er hairy moments. Some extremely dangerous people have been after us."_

"_Jesus Freddy! And you've been silent all this time? Please say you at least have someone helping you?"_

"_We've been kinda busy," Fred said a little defensively about the lack of contact, realising they had forgotten to call the night they landed, and hadn't had time to even breathe since. "But yeah, yeah we had some help, from an old friend actually."_

_Shaggy didn't get chance to question Fred further on what that cryptic comment meant as Velma's voice cut in again._

"_Promise me you're both okay?" she pleaded. "And don't you try to bullshit me Fred Jones. Tell me how you **really** are."_

**I've missed that Velma **_Fred thought at how forthright she was, bullish and demanding the truth. He decided not to sugar coat it for them, the lump on the back of his head was beginning to throb again. He began to document their many woes for her._

"_Okay Velma, here goes. I want you to know that we are both fine right now, so although this is going_ _to scare you, know that we're both here together and we're doing good."_

_Velma felt incredibly nervous after that introduction he gave but urged him to carry on. _

"_We were pursued from pretty much the moment we got here. At first we thought we were just being paranoid but then...someone tried to push Daphne in front of a train," he announced solemnly, hearing both Shaggy and Velma gasp. He carried on not giving them time to react properly. "Then, someone tried to run our cab off the road...and then later that same day...that's when we were shot at...after investigating Ethan's apartment. I was shot in the shoulder. And um not long after that...I was knocked out, and almost kidnapped I guess," he added sheepishly._

"_WHAT?!" Shaggy and Velma's disbelief was in unison now. _

"_Uh, yeah, they knocked me out and put me in their car but they must have changed their minds or whatever because they just dumped me and drove off."_

"_Fred, give Daph the phone now!" Velma tried to calmly instruct but it came across as a panicky demand._

_Fred shrugged, and handed the phone to Daphne._

"_I'm back," she told Velma._

"_Daphne," she demanded. "What the actual hell?! **Please** tell me Fred is joking?"_

_Hearing Fred lay it all bare like that, Daphne realised they had endured actual hell over the last few days. It was the equivalent of the culmination of several dangerous moments in several mysteries all rolled into one. "He's not joking," Daphne confirmed. "That all happened."_

_She heard Velma suck in a sharp breath on the other end of the phone. "And you went through all that alone?!"_

"_Like Fred said, we had help from..."_

"_I don't care about 'Fred's old friend'!" Velma snapped. "What about us? Your actual friends? You should have called us the second something bad happened!"_

"_And what exactly would you have been able to do?" Daphne challenged, stung a little by the anger coming over the line but it wasn't unexpected, Shaggy and Velma were never going to just accept what had happened to them._

"_I don't know Daph but we shouldn't only be hearing about this now. In all this, you've failed to talk about the reason why you went in the first place. Have you been able to find out what happened to Ethan?"_

_At this, Daphne bit her lip hard to stop the tears she was about to automatically release. She realised she couldn't actually say it out loud, couldn't confirm to her friends that he was in actual fact, dead. "We haven't actually. I'm pretty sure that's why what's happened to us has been happening, someone really doesn't want us to find out the truth about Ethan."_

"_It sure seems like it," Velma agreed with a sigh. "So you're coming home right?"_

"_Yeah, soon," Daphne lied, catching Fred's eye. "Just as soon as we can get a flight out, we're heading to the airport now actually."_

"_Good," Velma said, her chest heaving with relief. "I'm sorry you couldn't find Ethan but it sounds way too dangerous for you guys to be out there now."_

"_I know Velma. So we've said our piece, don't you think it's time to fill us in on all things Coolsville?" she asked, grateful to be able to flip things over to them. "Are you guys safe?"_

"_Pretty much," said Velma swiftly. "Things are bad here though Daph. When we got here the whole town was evacuating like it was some damn zombie apocalypse. It's awful. Devon's got the whole town on strings."_

"_Shit," Daphne exclaimed. "But you and Shaggy are safe? You found shelter?"_

"_Yeah, we also found some help from an old friend actually. He saved us from a tight spot."_

"_Aw that's good to hear, what have you managed to find out about the explosion?"_

_It was Velma's turn to feel upset and awkward. She had a choice to make, burden her friends with some news to make their already awful situation even worse or offer some kind of hope. The lie was out of her mouth before she even had chance to think about it._

"_Not much. We haven't been able to find out anything about Stella or Will yet," she said, not able to see him, but knew the disapproving glare Shaggy was giving her right now._

"_Huh, with the lack of luck Fred and I are having here, and you and Shaggy back home, maybe we've lost our touch as investigators?" Daphne lightly quipped._

_Velma gave a nervous laugh, fully seeing Shaggy's disapproving expression now and gulped in alarm. "Aha, ah yeah, sure we'll all come good in the end, we always do. Listen Daph, we might have a lead so we gotta go, let us know when you get a flight yeh? See you soon."_

_Daphne blinked in disbelief at Velma ending the call so suddenly._

"_Well, that was abrupt," Fred commented. "Why did you lie to them Daphne?"_

"_I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe I just didn't want to say it aloud. It makes it seem more real somehow, telling others," she reflected. _

"_I guess you're right, you told them we were coming straight home though, they'll figure that lie out pretty quickly!"_

_Daphne shrugged. "I had to give them something positive, we don't need Velma giving us a lecture to tell us about how reckless we are being in staying. We know that already. Besides, don't you think that they're hiding something too?"_

"_She did squirm and finish the call very abruptly after telling us not an awful lot about what's going on Coolsville," he considered. "It does worry me Daphne but we've got to focus on ourselves right now. I'm confident Shag and Velma can handle themselves with whatever is going down there."_

**Hong Kong, Present.**

This time, there was no nervous wait for them to answer, Velma picked up instantly, and Fred could sense the cool hostility straight away.

"Oh my god Shaggy!" she spat out with sarcastic cheer in her voice. "Guess what! Fred and Daphne must have _finally_ got a flight! It's a goddamn miracle!"

Fred sighed, "I know we deserve that Velma."

"Damn right you do Fred! I should have known your stubborn pride would have meant that you never really did have any intention of leaving China. Not when a mystery remained unsolved. Not even attempts to kill you could make Fred Jones just leave a mystery."

"It wasn't like that Velma, we did what we had to do."

"And that involved lying to Shaggy and I, did it?" Bitter, vindictive. Hurt. Fred hadn't heard Velma like this in forever and it cut to the bone.

"There was a reason for that, reasons for _everything_ but we can't get into this now. You deserve full explanations and you'll get that, but not now, not like this. It will make a lot more sense when we get home..."

"Oh so you _are_ coming home this time? Well, don't expect a welcoming committee, Shag and I have our own stuff to deal with here. Which we'll tell _you _about when you get here."

Stalemate. So much animosity between them. It had only been a few days since they separated but it felt like a lifetime. So much had happened since then, on both sides of the world it seemed. He just hoped their friendship wasn't damaged beyond repair.

"So, what time?"

He blinked at her question, he had been totally lost in his own thoughts for a second there. "What time?" he repeated stupidly. He could visualise the dramatic eye roll Velma was undoubtedly doing right now.

"The flight." She said in an exasperated tone. "What time are you landing?"

"We'll be there ah, around mid afternoon your time I think? We leave around 10 am. We're flying direct."

"Okay," Velma said curtly. "Well there's a curfew. Just so you know. So you might need help from someone to get back into Coolsville. See you soon," she added without any warmth whatsoever.

"It's not easy to do in a phone call is it?" Daphne said, noting he had been unable to 'tell them the truth' after all.

"It needs to be face to face," he reasoned. "It's a lot to drop into a single phone call."

"I don't disagree. So,what should we do now?"

Fred glanced at her, it had become a pertinent question over the past twenty four hours.

**Hong Kong - Yesterday morning**

_After the phone call to Velma and Shaggy, Daphne had questioned Fred on his plan for what they were going to do next. If they were staying they needed to do something useful, luckily Fred was on the same wavelength._

"_We will have to go back to the hotel for our documents at some point but getting this evidence to the authorities has got to be our priority now," he said referring to the USB in his pocket. "Then, no matter what happens to us, Ethan has a fighting chance of being avenged. You've got to hope there will be some big clues in the footage for them to eke out. We have to hope it's significant."_

_Daphne nodded silently, letting out a little breath. They knew the moment they handed the video over; it was painting an even bigger target on their backs than before. She knew they had to be careful how they did this._

_They walked over to a busy part of a nearby park and Daphne took a seat on a bench while Fred kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. She retrieved the business card Detective Farshan had given them from her purse, and then dialled his number._

"_This is Farshan."_

"_Mr Farshan, it's Daphne Blake. We need to meet." She listened to his predictable suggestion to come over to his office immediately and shook her head in frustration. "No, we can't Mr. Farshan," she told him politely but firmly. "This matter is too sensitive. Look, it's regarding a vital piece of evidence about Ethan. Could you please arrange to meet us? We'd really appreciate it."_

_She looked towards Fred a few feet away, still guarding her while she waited for Farshan to give an answer. He mouthed 'did he say yes?' and Daphne shrugged back at him._

_After a slight pause, fortunately for them he agreed and she smiled in relief at Fred, nodding her head to show their plan was a go. They quickly settled on a public area nearby that was away from prying eyes. Though they believed they could trust the Detective, they weren't in a position where they could fully conform to that just yet and weren't willing to meet him somewhere isolated._

_Fred and Daphne waited nervously in the bustling fish marketplace they had chosen and slipped into a fairly secluded table but somewhere they would still be able to create a scene if Farshan did turn on them. _

_A million other worries about being otherwise ambushed or followed, flew through Fred's head and he checked around them like a man possessed as they walked the short distance from the park to the fish market by the docks._

_Presently, Farshan appeared, the unassuming Detective striding towards them with purpose. Glancing around him, Fred deduced he truly was alone and quietly beckoned him over to their table, his hood now pulled up around his face._

"_Friends," Detective Farshan greeted them warmly. "I do not know what the need is for all this cloak and dagger stuff. I'm quite sure the office would have been perfectly safe."_

"_We don't know who we can trust," Fred admitted with a grimace and Farshan finally noticed the rough shape the boy was now in, since the last time he had seen them._

"_Are you hurt?" he asked in concern. "What is going on?"_

"_I'll live," Fred replied gruffly and Daphne visibly shivered next to him._

"_Mr Farshan, the people who killed Ethan, they've been pursuing us all over Hong Kong," she revealed in a low voice. "Last night, they attacked Fred and left him for dead but also left us something else."_

_Farshan barely had time to react to the astonishing news about the young couple being pursued and attacked, before the boy grimly produced a small bag from his pocket and pushed it across the table._

_Hiding his surprise, Farshan was immediately professional and snapped on gloves before opening it, carefully sliding out a USB and small folded letter. He set the USB to one side and unfolded the letter, reading it with a furrowed brow._

"_I see," he said with little emotion. "And you're sure you're okay, son?" he said to Fred._

"_I'm fine. Our fingerprints will be on those," he said regretfully, "but hopefully you can still pull something from them."_

_His arm draped around Daphne and they both watched Farshan react to the USB, picking it up cautiously._

"_And this contains?"_

"_All the proof you need that Ethan was definitely murdered," Daphne replied viciously, taking him aback somewhat._

_It was the first time she had been able to say those words aloud and it immediately conjured up feelings of anger rather than grief. "And hopefully it gives you everything you need to nail the bastard that did this."_

_The young woman looked fierce now, determined. Farshan couldn't hide his surprise._

"_You two are very brave. Thank you. I will get my team onto this straight away. You really do need to go home though," he instructed. "This is dangerous and far beyond you kids."_

"_Don't worry Mr Farshan," Fred declared breezily. "That's **exactly** what we're going to do." He stood up to shake Farshan's outstretched hand. "All we ask Mr Farshan is that you bring Ethan's killer to justice."_

_Mr Farshan knew he couldn't promise them this but nevertheless spoke with conviction in his reply. "I will do everything in my power, Mr Jones, Miss Blake. I bid you farewell, safe travels."_

_Daphne and Fred got up to leave and Mr Farshan also left the fish market, he followed them from a safe distance for a few minutes before it became clear they were not going to follow his advice at all, far from it. He sighed, reaching for his cell, his eyes still on the couple. "Hi, yes it's me, listen, we might have a very big problem..."_

* * *

**And that feels like a good place to conclude the first part of this narrative bending experiment. I hope it wasn't too confusing. There's a second part to come to conclude all the events of the missing 24 hours, then we will get back to the regular structure I promise! Do let me know what you think! **


	13. Twenty Four Little Hours: Part 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for your feedback on my little narrative experiment and I'm so pleased you enjoyed it! Was just an idea I hit upon and I felt it worked well for this stage of the story. So lots of little clues were scattered in the 'Present' timeline about what occured in the last day in China and those answers are now coming!**

**This chapter is a long one, I'm quite sure it's the longest one I've written so far but there was so much to pack in, I didn't think I could miss anything out! So set aside some time, get comfy, and enjoy!**

* * *

**Hong Kong – Present.**

Daphne could tell just from Fred's part of the conversation that it had not gone well with Velma. If it was possible for it to be even more strained than the first phone call she had held with her, it seemed likely he had actually achieved that.

"She was angry?" she asked, though she knew it was a silly question, Velma's rage had _radiated_ through the phone.

"I think she was hurt more than anything," Fred admitted with a heavy sigh. In all of the secrets and lying that had been going on recently, lying to _each other_ was a new low.

"I didn't mean to deliberately lie to her about Ethan or give her hope we were coming straight home, it just felt like the right thing to do," Daphne reflected mournfully. Like Fred, she was worried about the damage to their friendship at a time when they were going to need each other like never before very soon.

"They'll come round," Fred said with false cheer, aware Daphne was becoming upset by the whole situation. He put his arm around her shoulder, hugging her tightly. "We're finally going home," he whispered contentedly into her ear.

It just didn't feel real to Daphne that they were finally going to be leaving China and flying back to the States. They hadn't even been here that long; less than a week in fact, but so much had happened in that short space of time. Without even counting yesterday's events, they had been relentlessly pursued, attacked and threatened. It was a LOT for them to try and come to terms with, and the worst thing was they knew it wasn't even close to being over yet.

Regardless, Daphne was looking forward to having some safe time to begin to reflect on it all on the long flight home. They had stumbled from one thing to the next without ever really being able to pause for thought. They had stumbled straight from last night's events into sleeping at the airport, for example. Last night still didn't even feel real, and she doubted it would do until they were safely back in Coolsville.

She stood restlessly with Fred, unable to stop herself from the habit of constantly looking around for danger. She found she suddenly had a lot of nervous energy as the prospect of actually 'escaping' became ever closer.

"Are you sure you have the tickets?" she asked Fred for the second time since the phone call had ended.

Fred couldn't even feel frustrated, and he once again took out the first class tickets that were now in their possession, he was still as disbelieving as Daphne that this was actually happening. He carefully checked the details on them again and again until he was sure they were definitely theirs. That they were able to escape the country at all was an absolute miracle, let alone to begin to come to terms with the fact they were going to be able to do it in such style. As recently as yesterday afternoon that seemed so far away.

**Hong Kong – Yesterday afternoon.**

_After handing over the evidence to Detective Farshan, there was almost a temporary air of relief for Fred and Daphne. No longer were they in possession of some horrific but incriminating footage, so they definitely felt something of a weight lifted off their shoulders. But whilst they had physically unburdened themselves, they knew their actions were inviting a whole other kind of scrutiny upon themselves. They had not left as instructed. Not only that but they were actively still continuing to 'meddle'. They both knew it wouldn't be long before their defiant stance would be discovered, but they both intended to deal with this in very different ways._

_Since leaving Farshan, Daphne had become very quiet as they attempted to move through Hong Kong as inconspicuously as possible. Fred had the hoodie pulled up tightly around his face, mostly to not attract attention to his bruised face. The cuts and scrapes from the car incident were healed, but more prominent now and would lead to unwanted attention as people would inevitably start to wonder if he was okay. It was bad enough for Fred that he couldn't move as freely as he wanted; still restricted by his pretty useless shoulder. In his head, he began to devise a plan to seek shelter, but instead, was massively caught off guard when Daphne finally spoke again._

_They were walking through crowded streets in the centre of Hong Kong, making it harder to detect anyone who might be paying them any interest._

"_I've been thinking about it Fred," she said turning to him with a guarded expression on her face. "Getting the evidence to Farshan was a huge relief, and let's hope they can do something with it. I got a vibe that he might not be entirely trustworthy though. So, I think it's about time we did our own detective work again, don't you think? I want to know what Ethan has **really** been doing the past two years."_

_She wore such a look of determination now much to Fred's instant discomfort. She was intent on getting herself caught up right into the cross hairs again! He tried his best to gently dissuade her._

"_But Ethan's laptop is dead now, remember?" he argued as they continued to move down the bustling street together. "What other lead is there in Hong Kong, that we even know of?"_

"_Well," Daphne said. "There is one place we can try." Fred looked confused and apprehensive, but she pushed ahead anyway. "We didn't get chance to look around properly before..."_

_Fred immediately stopped dead, almost causing a pile up behind him. He grabbed Daphne's arm, steering her to the side so they were out of the way. "The apartment?!" he hissed, looking utterly aghast. "Daphne, that is a crazy idea!"_

"_You were the one who wanted us to stay Freddy," she pointed out, shrugging herself out of his grip. "If we're going to stay here, we might as well do something useful."_

_Fred tried his best to stay composed as he made his point to her. "Getting the video to the authorities was a calculated risk I was willing to take," he explained. "And I totally stand by that we shouldn't just scuttle straight off home like good threatened little victims, but I actually intended to lie low for a while. Not immediately put ourselves right into the middle of it all again!"_

"_You were absolutely right with what you said this morning though Fred!" Daphne's eyes were bright now. "We can't let them get away with it. I want to know what Ethan sacrificed. He had been living a lie for two years. I need to know what happened."_

_Fred had a horrible feeling he knew where this was heading, but tried to get her partially on side whilst still making his position very clear._

"_I understand your need for answers, I truly do babe, but going back to the apartment is far too dangerous!" he pleaded for her to see sense. "I mean damn, we might as well just paint a neon sign on our backs saying, 'come and get us!'"_

_Daphne frowned at his strong resistance to her plan. "You refused to go to a hospital as you said they would be looking out for us there. I actually happen to think this is the last place they would think to look for us. Who would even go back to the scene of the crime?" she smiled up at him._

"_Um, the killer?! In just about every scary movie we've ever watched ever?!" Fred was now utterly staggered by her sudden reckless abandon, and promptly wished he had now insisted on going home after all._

"_Oh Freddy," she said dismissively. "That's just in a movie! In reality, no one would be expecting us to return to the very place where you were shot."_

"_Good job no one here knows you like I do then," Fred retorted with a sigh._

"_I'm going Fred," she said, suddenly serious again. "You know that I'll go, with or without you. I can't just accept losing him like this, I've got to get some answers." She fixed him a piercing stare he knew very well._

_**There she is,** he thought. **My stubborn little spitfire.** _

_Flaming red hair to match her fierce personality. Woe betide those who crossed her. She was formidable now in so many different ways. She had always been strong-willed, a fighter; they knew that from their ill-fated plan to abduct her all those years ago. But Fred had also seen a real change in her in the last few months,a harder edge to her than ever before. He knew what he could trace it back to; the night Mario Materazzi had held her captive and done goodness knows what to her. She had always refused to speak to any of them about the finer details of her ordeal, though she insisted he hadn't truly harmed her, and maybe he hadn't physically, but what about mentally? Fred also couldn't shake his nagging doubt about whether she was being truly honest. He remembered his nightmare on the plane then, and immediately shook his head to rid himself of those unwelcome images. He didn't want to think about that awful night again now. He **couldn't** think about that night again, it had haunted so many of his dreams as it was._

_He looked at her now, his beautiful stubborn queen. Her hands on her hips, lips pursed, just daring him to disagree._

_But they both knew he would go with her._

_He would have to lie down his own life before he would allow her to attempt such a dangerous mission alone._

"_Let's get going then," he simply said without emotion, taking her hand in a firm grasp once again. Fred Jones would always lead the way, even when he knew in his heart it was the wrong decision._

**Hong Kong- Present.**

"They're all here, safe in our name," he reassured her. "Forget about the other luxuries that comes with travelling First Class, I'm just glad we get to sit next to each other this time!"

Daphne forced a smile but remained on edge, she kept glancing around and Fred sighed.

"C'mon babe, you know we can't do that, they said not to look for them," he reminded her.

"I know, but it's just so hard knowing..."

"I know," Fred agreed. "Like you said though, we can't pretend everything is normal but that IS exactly what we've got to try and do. We can't draw any more attention to ourselves, and we CANNOT keep looking around. It puts everything at risk."

Being reminded of the danger they were still facing had Daphne quickly accepting reality. From the moment they changed clothes, they had a role to play now, and nervous and jumpy would just not cut it. They didn't want to look like they had just come off honeymoon either but had to strike something of a happy medium right now, anything else would rouse suspicion.

Agreeing to keep a low profile, they went to queue for check in. When they reached the front, the smiling assistant took their tickets and boarding passes with a complete air of professionalism as she tactfully avoided saying anything about the man's rough appearance.

She glanced at the boarding passes, then gave a small chuckle. "Oh sir, don't worry it's a common mistake as people don't realise they really are all done!"

Daphne and Fred stared blankly at the assistant, causing her to falter slightly. Still, it was a new system and many passengers were still getting to grips with it.

"As you already checked in your bags at our handy remote check in option at the train station earlier, that's you all done now. You can head straight on through to security," she smiled widely.

"Pardon? Remote check in?" Fred looked instantly alarmed. They had NOT done any remote check in and their bags, as far as they knew were still in the hotel.

The assistant looked a little worried by his obvious confusion and laughed nervously. "That's right, it's a little new but when you check your bags in, even though you're not here in the airport that's it, no need to queue here too. We've received your suitcases."

Fred looked violently ill by her revelation and was going to dispute it. "But we didn't..."

Daphne took one look at his pale and alarmed face, and knew he was in danger of drawing some very unwanted attention. If the assistant believed his reaction proved that he wasn't the one who checked in their bags after all, it would generate a massive security alert they really couldn't afford.

Painting a radiant smile on her face to mask her own concerns, she nudged him hard. "We didn't think that was truly possible! Wow, see I told you hun! That's it! Done and dusted. I can't wait for the States to follow suit, we love your innovation!" she gushed, looking to Fred and begging him for him to play along.

Fred's eyes held real worry but he forced himself to react accordingly.

"My gosh darling you're right, aren't you people just marvellous! What will you think of next?! Well, we won't hold up the line any longer, to security it is!" he declared with a silly, almost manic look on his face.

The assistant laughed along uncertainly, there was no doubt in her mind, the man was drunk. It was beyond her pay grade to intervene at this stage, she knew security would take care of him before he got into the lounge if they decided his state made him a flight risk.

Instead, she smiled brighter and handed back their tickets and documents. "Well, after security and immigration, our First Class lounge will be just up the escalator on the left hand side. Please enjoy your flight and thank you for flying with Cathay Pacific Airlines."

Daphne and Fred had kept the pasted smiles on their own faces for as long as they remained at the desk, but as soon as they moved away, worry clouded both of their expressions.

"It had to be them, right?" Daphne asked him in a hesitant whisper.

**Hong Kong – Yesterday afternoon/early evening.**

_After Fred had reluctantly agreed to Daphne's plan, they decided to catch a cab that would take them half way towards Ethan's apartment again. Taking the subway was out of the question, and it was much too far to walk all the way there, so they needed some form of transport. Fred reasoned that a half way drop off was the safest method, as that way, even if the cabbie remembered his passengers and was asked where they were heading, the answer wouldn't be close enough to the apartment to raise suspicion that's where they were definitely going. _

_They still had almost an hour to walk and it was tiring, especially for Fred with his injuries. He stopped once to take some further painkillers for his head and shoulder. It was starting to rain now, and they had long lost the umbrella they bought. Not wanting to stop again, they ploughed on relentlessly instead, both of them getting significantly wet in the rain._

_Only when they reached the markets by Ethans (that they had run through to escape the assassins last time), did they actually allow themselves to stop. _

_Always thinking of the practicalities, and knowing it was starting to get dark, Fred stopped at a kiosk to buy a couple of flash-lights. He then made a couple of further stops, filling their small bags with water, matches, some small snacks and spare chargers for their phones._

_**Such a little boy scout!** Daphne thought, looking at him adoringly and found herself then briefly imagining what a cute little boy scout he undoubtedly would have been. He always led them on their mysteries so fearlessly now, he had really grown in to his role after a rocky start. Despite the fact that searching Ethan's apartment was **her** reckless plan, he once again led the way._

_He was still dressed in the comfortable sweats that Mei Ling had given him last night, and Daphne was still in the same clothes that she had dressed in when they got up at the hotel just yesterday morning. It felt like a lifetime ago in all honesty. She desperately craved getting a hot shower, having being too stressed about Fred's condition to get one at Mei's. She pondered the possibility of doing so at Ethan's. _

_Supply run done, they passed through the markets with the crowds beginning to thin as the evening descended, and they moved closer to Ethan's apartment._

_Stood outside the front of the smart building, Fred looked up towards where he knew Ethan's apartment was. It was all in darkness inside, but he could make out something fluttering in the rain, flapping incessantly on the balcony. He realised it was tape and beyond that, he could see the now shattered windows from where the assailants had shot their way inside._

"_Place is definitely a crime scene," he confirmed to Daphne grimly, pointing out the visible crime scene tape. "We might not be able to get in," he warned._

"_Well, we have to try," Daphne replied resolutely and he nodded his head in reluctant agreement._

_Grateful to be out of the rain, they managed to walk into the apartment building unchallenged. While the police had undoubtedly been there, there was no one there now and it seemed the shooting had caused the neighbours to flee, or otherwise barricade themselves away in fear. There was no one going about their daily business._

_Fred pulled upon the door to the stairwell and saw more evidence of crime scene markers. There were indentations and markings on the wall to show where the bullets had hit. He glanced upwards and saw the mazy staircase once again and immediately felt a wave of emotion hit him. Instead of the staircase being empty, he was suddenly transported back to that night as they had fled for their lives. He looked up and saw again the masked assassin lock eyes on him, only his eyes and mouth were visible. Fred saw the man lift the gun as he frantically urged Daphne to move faster down the staircase. He saw again the cruel smile on the man's face as he pulled the trigger. He remembered the pain as it rippled through his shoulder, as he instantly knew he had been shot and recalled the agony of that pain as he forced himself to move for Daphne's sake. They were both running for their lives._

_Instead of climbing the staircase now, his eyes instead landed on a small, dried residue on the floor and he realised with shock it was almost certainly his own blood. He froze mid-step, breathing deeply, and Daphne's arms were instantly around him, holding him up as he visibly stumbled._

"_Fred, are you OK? I'm sorry, I didn't think. We should have used the elevator," she said with concern in her eyes._

_She turned to steer him back the way they had come in, but he stopped her, instead resuming his position in the lead. "No, it's OK, I had a bit of a flashback but I'm OK now, I promise, let's go."_

_He began the climb up with determination, more sure footed now and Daphne followed behind, ready to catch him if he faltered again, but they made it onto Ethan's floor without any further hesitation from Fred._

_The corridor sounded quiet but they opened the lobby door cautiously to find more crime scene tape adorning the corridor, and finally at the end of it, across Ethan's open doorway._

_They walked hesitantly towards his apartment and stood outside the open threshold._

_Daphne made a move to duck under the tape, but Fred grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She thought he was going to panic about entering a live crime scene, but he handed her his backpack to hold open and rooted around for the small flash-light he had bought. "Me first," he whispered, placing the torch between his teeth and sliding under the tape as gracefully as his injured shoulder allowed him to. Daphne soon followed him into the fully dark apartment and they began moving around silently, guided only by the dim glare of the flash-lights. They were both very careful not to flash the light towards the outside balcony, where anyone on the ground would be able to see the apartment was suddenly lit up again._

_They communicated with hand signals, feeling that was safer than talking, and Daphne pointed towards Ethan's bedroom to indicate that was where she was going to search. Fred gave her the thumbs up and continued to thumb through some documents he had just found under Ethan's coffee table._

_Daphne moved to the bookshelf in Ethan's room, slowly going through his books, until her fingers settled on an envelope tucked between two large volumes. Inside the envelope, were a stack of photos, and though she didn't have time to study each one properly, she recognised they weren't exactly fluffy tourist snaps, and stuffed them carefully into her bag._

_Lowering herself to the floor, she repeated Fred's flash-light in the mouth trick, and checked under Ethan's neat bed. Tucked into the far corner was a small shoe box sized box and she strained to reach it, just managing to get a tight enough grip on it to slide it toward her. Inside the box were obvious surveillance style photos of a man and various pieces of papers with notes and numbers scribbled on. She had just poured everything from it into her now bulging bag, feeling satisfied with her haul, when she heard Fred hissing her name urgently._

_Hoping he had just found something, Daphne hurried back towards the living room. _

_Fred stood with his finger to his mouth and pointed urgently towards the open front door and her heart sank when she heard it. The sound of the lobby door squeaking open slowly and then closing just as lightly. It was followed by very light whispering that she had to strain her ears to hear but it was definitely present._

_They both knew it was unlikely a resident would take such cautious steps to sneak around their building, and grimly Fred switched off his flash-light and Daphne quickly followed suit. They then heard the footsteps sneaking carefully along the corridor towards the apartment, and that's when Fred mouthed to her 'we have to get out of here.'_

_She nodded, her heart rate already accelerating with fear, and went to join him by the door. Fred had inched forward slowly and pressed himself against the side of the door frame. He poked his head out as much as he dared from the cover of the dark apartment. Instantly, his heart deflated and he cursed inside his head._

_Though the corridor was quite long, and Ethan's apartment was at the very end of it; at the other end and blocking their escape to the stairwell, or indeed the elevator, was what most people would commonly be described as a nightmare, but was the kind of situation that had become all too real for them._

_Slowly inching their own way across the corridor were two men dressed in what looked like some kind of robes. Instead of being able to see their faces, they had gruesome white skeleton-like masks on that covered their whole face._

_Fred desperately tried not to panic in front of Daphne, but could see little way out of their dire situation. There was no other escape route from the apartment, as they were far too high to attempt any kind of daring descent from the balcony. He briefly considered hiding but knew that would only slow down their being discovered not prevent it. There was nowhere to go. He mournfully assessed the situation on the corridor and his heart sank further when he saw them getting closer. He looked around desperately by Ethan's apartment again and then he saw something that caused his eyes to light up and a crazy plan began to form. He put both hands on Daphne's face to calm her. _

"_Do you trust me?" he whispered and she nodded fearfully in response. _

"_Always."_

_He kissed her softly before taking her hand, continuing to whisper. "When I say go, I need you to run out and turn left OK? In 3...2...1...GO!"_

**Hong Kong – Present.**

As they passed through security and immigration, at every step, Fred feared they would be stopped but they passed through each section without any intervention, although Fred did feel staff seemed to scrutinise him a _little _before letting him proceed.

Once they had made it through those final vital checks, they headed towards the First Class lounge to while away the last couple of hours they were to remain in China. They were disturbed by the fact someone had checked in their luggage but this was actually a good thing overall, especially for Fred. For all the worry about the identity of who had checked them in, his over riding emotion was just relief that the ring was once again safe.

The lounge was beautiful, more like someone's living room than a passenger rest stop, it was tranquil and quiet and the few other passengers there were keeping themselves to themselves, which was for the best.

They hadn't long taken possession of what looked like a very comfortable couch when Fred turned to her with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"You know, seems as though we're trying to not draw attention to ourselves, maybe we should go get some stuff from the gift shop? Buy some books or something to read while we wait. Anything to make us look more chilled and relaxed?" Fred suggested.

"Hmm," Daphne considered his idea. "Just this once, that's probably not a bad idea Freddy," she said, a tiny smirk forming on her lips. "It's certainly not the worst idea you've had since we've been here."

The barb she added was said in a playful and innocent enough tone but Fred knew she was going to carry a real, genuine grudge.

"You're really not going to let me forget about that are you?" Fred asked, knowing her response.

She replied instantly and with a deadly serious expression on her face now. She started to trail a sharp fingernail up his arm, starting from his scarred wrists. "Fred, you know I love you. But THAT was the single, worst, EXCRUCIATING couple of minutes of my entire life. And knowing my life like you do, you know how bold a statement that is to make, right?"

Fred nodded, unable to take his eyes off Daphne as she slid into his lap now. Planting a smile on her face, she leaned in very close to him, placing her hands lightly on his shoulders. She dipped her head to whisper in his ear.

"Know this Fred Jones," she instructed firmly, her hot breath tickling his ear, causing him to flush and then struggle to keep himself in check. In control Daphne was the _best_ kind of Daphne, he would be lying if he didn't say he was aroused in this moment.

"It might not be today, it probably won't be tomorrow, but I WILL get my revenge on you." She said it with such unwavering menace, without humour that he felt a genuine thrill go up his spine. To emphasise her point further, instead of continuing to be gentle with his injured shoulder as she lifted herself back off him, she deliberately applied a tiny bit of pressure with her fingers. It wasn't enough to give him serious pain, but it was a shock that caused unnecessary discomfort and he actually whimpered, sucking back a gasp of pain while she smiled sweetly before standing. "How about we get those books now?"

The sensation of her fingers pressing hard on his shoulder still tingled, and he tried not to grimace and give her the satisfaction.

_Ouch! I'm not sure I deserved THAT!_ He thought. _Was what I made her do REALLY that bad?_

**Hong Kong – Yesterday evening.**

_When Fred said 'Go', they barrelled out of Ethan's apartment together, stunning the 'skeleton' men as they suddenly appeared on the corridor. Fred prayed the element of surprise would give them enough time to get to safety before the men got their guns out. There was just enough distance between the danger and themselves to give them a fighting chance of escaping so long as they were quick._

_Despite urging her to turn left only, Daphne couldn't resist a curious glance to her right and let out a scream when she caught sight of the terrifying looking men. Fred though, wasted no time dragging her towards his planned escape as the startled men also mobilised themselves now._

"_Hey! Stop!" one of the men shouted, and Daphne couldn't help but note the clear American accent as they started to pursue them._

_**Why aren't they shooting at us?** She wondered as the men merely ran after them, but was of course, grateful they were not._

_Fully focussing on just the 'left' now, she realised Fred's crazy plan as soon as she saw it and moaned in dismay._

"_Freddy, no!"_

_Fred knew she wasn't going to like it but they were pretty much out of options now with the men closing in._

"_Daphne we don't really have a choice right now! Think of all the garbage chutes Shaggy and Scooby have had to go down? It's not that bad."_

_He jerked his head around and saw them get closer, but like Daphne, had noticed they had no intention of going for a weapon._

_**Maybe they don't want to cause another disturbance at an active crime scene? ** He briefly contemplated before opening the chute hatch. The smell hit both of their nostrils instantly and he grimaced. "Look Daph, it's either a little bit of garbage, or they catch us. What do you prefer?"_

_Giving Fred a look of utter contempt, she prepared to climb in. "I'll get you back for this Fred Jones," she promised savagely before pinching her hand over her nostrils and disappearing inside._

_The 'skeleton' men seemed surprised they were actually willing to use the garbage chute as an escape route, pausing in shock as the redhead disappeared, swiftly followed by the blond. Coming to their senses, they turned tail and rapidly began the descent back down the stairs again._

_The journey in the garbage hatch for the pair was swift and mercifully short-lived, but the smell itself was unholy, causing both Fred and Daphne to gag repeatedly as they hurtled towards the bottom. Catching sight of the huge trash bags at the bottom that were going to cushion their fall, Daphne screamed as they then slid into the giant dumpster, one by one._

_Thankfully for them, most of the bags were tightly sealed shut so most of the garbage itself didn't spill onto them, but oh my god, the _**smell.**_ Daphne didn't think she was going to be able to forget that smell as long as she lived, and it was already beginning to cling to her clothes._

_Fred's hoodie was slightly ripped now and had various remnants of 'things' attached to his clothing, but he was already on his feet and dragging himself out of the dumpster. He then reached a hand back in to help Daphne, who was still dry heaving at the smell._

"_**That,**" she seethed to him as he pulled her out, "was the single worst plan you have EVER come up with. And the bar was set pretty high on that, let's be honest!"_

_Fred helped her jump down and grinned at her. "Come on, it worked didn't it? And besides, the smell is not that bad really!"_

"_Fred, we smell like we've been swimming inside a sewer," she snapped irritably at him. She reached forward to knock something off his hoodie and he gently removed a stray banana peel that had unknowingly clung to her hair. "Eww!," she complained, repulsed again before her expression changed completely and she was looking at something beyond Fred's shoulder. She looked completely alarmed. "And uh, I don't think it DID work, look!"_

_She pointed in despair behind Fred and he snapped his head round to see the same 'skeleton' men, who had now just entered the back alley._

"_Come out," one of them called out, but didn't use anything more forceful than words._

"_Daph," Fred said to her quietly. "I'm pretty sure they're not armed. There's only two of them. We could fight them?"_

_Daphne immediately looked appalled. "**Pretty** sure?!"_

"_Like 90% sure, they would have shot at us now if they had a gun, I'm positive."_

"_Say you're right about that, but fight them?! Fred, you only have one good shoulder and was knocked out cold not long ago!"_

"_I can still fight," Fred said confidently. "And **you** can fight. There's a reason Velma dubbed you 'Buffy' when we first met, and you've only got stronger from there," he said affectionately, and with pride. "It's either fight or surrender."_

_Daphne didn't even take a further second to consider this. She shrugged off her already ruined purple jacket, letting it slide to the floor by the dumpster. "We fight."_

**Hong Kong – Present.**

They bought books and sat passively together in the First Class lounge, willing the time to go quickly. They were both now incredibly anxious to leave China and get back to Coolsville. Velma's assertion to Fred that her and Shaggy had 'stuff to deal with' had them worried about how much exactly their friends were trying to handle, and with what level of support. There was also the fact that their entire visit here had been a disaster with some awful memories to look back on, they just wanted to be gone now.

Thankfully for them both, time did seem to be moving fast and it wasn't long before they were standing at the gates, ready to board.

When they did finally set foot aboard the aircraft, Daphne had to pinch herself a little that they were entering First Class. The friendly and attentive stewardesses greeted them enthusiastically and showed them to their seats. Daphne and Fred stared open-mouthed as the stewardess directed them to their own little 'booth' with a pair of leather reclining chairs, table and mini TV screen.

They both sunk luxuriously into the leather, marvelling in the absolute comfort that the seats offered.

"Please enjoy the flight," the stewardess beamed.

The plane began to fill up and Fred and Daphne were aware of other passengers around them, but they were ensconced in their own little bubble, they weren't noticeable at all. When it was finally time to take off, Daphne sank back against the generous headrest and closed her eyes. She felt Fred weave his fingers into hers and she turned to him, feeling a wave of emotion as the plane left the ground.

"Can you believe it?" she whispered. "We actually did it."

Fred too felt strangely tearful as Hong Kong started to disappear below them. "We did it," he repeated, a beleaguered smile starting to appear on his face.

**Hong Kong – Yesterday evening.**

_Fred gave her a quick peck on the lips before they both braced themselves for battle._

"_Hey!" Fred waved over to the men, with a cheeky grin. "If you want us so badly, come and get us!"_

_Undoubtedly, the men were surprised by their prey's spiky resolve, but still rushed forward intending to just grab their targets. Fred and Daphne however, were ready. They were ready to literally fight for their lives._

_As one targeted Fred, and the other Daphne, she allowed the man to come close enough to try and grab her arm. As he did so, her hand locked on his wrist and she managed to bring him to the ground instead. On his knees now, Daphne used her full height advantage to kick him squarely in the stomach, which sent him sprawling backward in shock._

_Fred meanwhile, had engaged in hand to hand combat with his opponent. He had blocked a couple of punches and was holding his own against the man, when the man got in a crushing blow to his stomach. Winded, Fred felt the pain but recovered quickly as they spiralled into a full on brawl, taking punches but also able to dish out plenty of his own._

_After his initial shock at her strength and sheer willpower, Daphne's assailant was starting to have the upper hand and despite her fighting valiantly, Daphne was starting to tire._

_Sensing this, after getting her half way to the ground again, the man suddenly grabbed her, his arms encircling her waist and pulled her up firmly. He was holding her in the same way Mario had grabbed her outside the museum, and for a couple of seconds she froze in shock, and allowed the man to passively carry her, holding her tightly to his chest._

_Seeing Daphne grabbed, had Fred momentarily distracted, and his opponent took full advantage to deliver a crushing kick that sent him crashing to the ground._

"_Daphne!" Fred screamed, seeing her lifted off the ground, for a second, he was paralysed with fear but quickly recovered to get back on his feet._

_As the man attempted to haul her away, Fred's yell fully energised Daphne again and her spirit returned, she kicked out her legs, trying to loosen his hold on her. As they passed the tall dumpster, she suddenly braced both of her feet on the side of it and pushed back hard, sending her shoulder into her captor's face, forcing him to let her go. As he staggered around, holding his aching face, Daphne delivered a couple more kicks and he slumped to the ground._

_Having seen Fred also getting the better of his man, while she was fighting to get free, Daphne felt victorious, and immediately turned around to shout gleefully to Fred._

"_Did you see that Fred? I got him!"_

_But her joy was short-lived as she couldn't see Fred any more and was now aware of the van that had pulled up at the mouth of the alley some minutes ago while they were distracted fighting._

_She immediately looked around frantically for Fred; seeing the man that Fred had fought, lying sprawled on the ground, gave her rise for cheer but it didn't last long._

"_Fred!" she screamed, petrified now and suddenly she did see him, emerging from behind another dumpster. Her relief lasted mere nano seconds when she saw he wasn't alone._

_A third 'skeleton' man had appeared at some point when they were distracted fighting the other two guys, and it was immediately clear this one was **not **messing about._

_Fred **had **managed to fully get the better of his opponent, sending him to the ground without reply, but he had barely any time to savour his victory when he was suddenly viciously grabbed by the third man, his hand crushing tightly over Fred's mouth as he watched Daphne kick her opponent down._

_Any hope of fighting this man too went out of the window the moment he heard the cocking of a trigger by his head and the simple warning – '**Don't.'**_

_Dragged out in the open, a beefy arm wrapped around his neck and a gun held at his temple, Daphne was shattered the moment she saw Fred again. All her fighting instincts deserted her in an instant and she dropped to the ground, defeated._

"_It's over, Red," the man holding Fred, calmly addressed her. "Get up and get in the van please."_

_Daphne nodded her understanding, her eyes filling with tears, as she meekly stood and walked to the van._

_The man she had fought had recovered now, and he grabbed her arms, keeping her still. He reached into his pocket for a bandana which he tied over her eyes and then guided her into the van. _

_The man with the gun then dragged Fred over to the van, also tying a bandana as a blindfold, before placing him next to Daphne. With them sat next to each other, the men zip tied a hand each together before sliding the door closed abruptly._

_Their abductors were anxious to be on their way, aware the loud disturbance in the alley would almost certainly have been witnessed._

_Sitting together in their own darkness, Fred and Daphne were grateful to be still close to one another, and their tied hands clasped together tightly, despite being unable to see each other._

_Fred was the first to speak, predictably blaming himself._

"_I'm so sorry Daphne, I should never have been so arrogant to think we could win this."_

_Daphne stroked his thumb and across his knuckles gently. "Don't Fred, I made this choice too. I don't believe it was the wrong one. Getting justice for Ethan is all I care about now. I knew the risks of staying. Besides, it was my idea to go back to the apartment, remember? This is not on you."_

"_I realise now what Ethan would have wanted above anything and everything else," Fred hollowly replied. "To keep you safe. I've failed him, I've failed you."_

_Tears sprung again to Daphne's eyes and began to soak her blindfold, it destroyed her to hear him so shattered and defeated but they both knew this was it now. They had played with fire by staying despite the warning. Not only that, they had continued to poke their noses where they were firmly not wanted. This was the high price they now had to pay._

**Present – Somewhere above the Pacific.**

Daphne knew this was now the only time in the past few days, they could truly relax. They were safe for the next ten hours but relaxing was proving difficult. It wasn't easy to just forget everything that happened and as for yesterday, for their own safety, they weren't even allowed to talk about it! She actually hadn't even been able to ask Fred's thoughts on the whole episode yet. She looked across at him and saw him dozing. She smiled, he deserved the rest. She stood up slowly and stretched and decided to take a walk down the plane, she suddenly felt thirsty so headed towards the generous and spacious bar.

She pulled herself up onto the high stool, aware in doing so how much her legs still ached from the fight yesterday. She ordered herself the most decadent sounding cocktail as a treat, and sipped it at the bar.

She was in a world of her own, lost in her own thoughts and fears about what would happen next so she didn't notice him at first. Presently though, she clocked the young man staring at her from his business class seat. He had a drink in his hand as he sat with a companion she couldn't see from her position, and he cocked an eyebrow to her as he lifted his own glass up in a silent toast. Daphne tried to appear as casual as possible as she raised her glass in his direction in cheery acknowledgement of his gesture. He tried to smile in response but Daphne saw the flash of pain as he tried this simple gesture. It obviously wasn't so easy with the bruised, split lip and heavily marked cheekbone.

**Hong Kong – Yesterday evening.**

_It didn't feel like they had travelled very far at all before the van stopped. The doors slid open and the zip tie connecting them was cut loose. Their hands were roughly wrenched apart as their captors firmly removed them from the van, dragging each out by their elbow. The man holding Daphne guided her somewhat carefully to make sure she didn't stumble but was not displaying any overt kindness either._

_Fearing they may have been separated, she heard Fred desperately call out to her._

"_Daphne?"_

"_I'm right here Fred," she replied trying to sound calm and reassuring._

"_Cute," Daphne's captor commented with a chuckle, before adding 'chair' as a warning, as she was forced to awkwardly sit down without seeing what she was sitting in._

_Feeling him then kneel in front of her, she sensed an opportunity, and sent her own knee crashing forward into what she thought was his face._

_The indignant scream of pain signalled she was indeed correct and she felt a second person take over while he was obviously incapacitated._

_She smiled smugly to herself as she felt her wrists be held down and secured with plastic zip ties to the arm of the chair. From the sound of his heavy breathing, she knew Fred was still right alongside her and this gave her some comfort. She heard the snap of further ties and realised they were doing likewise to Fred._

_After a few minutes, and with their captors satisfied they were secured, footsteps shuffled away and a door closed. They remained blindfolded._

_As soon as he was completely sure they had gone, Fred immediately tested the strength of his restraints, and let out a little yell of frustration when there was very little give in the bonds._

_Daphne knew she had to try and keep his spirits high, despite her own fears. "Know how I know you're still here babe? You absolutely stink."_

_Fred gave a dry, throaty laugh, before resuming his loud and frantic efforts to free his wrists._

_She tried to keep her voice steady as she called out to him, fearing he was about to start blaming himself again._

"_Fred, it's okay. This was a choice we made together. We both knew the extraordinarily high risk we were exposing ourselves to by taking the action we did. And at least this way, there is a stronger chance of justice."_

"_We had the chance to get out, to leave with our lives intact! I should have taken you to the airport, the morning that we left Mei's."_

"_Please don't berate yourself Freddy. I'm at peace with the decision we made...Fred?"_

_Daphne could hear him manically now trying to free his wrist from the confines of the zip-locks, letting out another frustrated cry when they wouldn't budge._

"_It's over Fred," Daphne said quietly. "We aren't getting out of this one."_

_It was a stark realisation for both of them. For all of their near death moments and the miraculous escapes, they both knew there could be no timely rescue this time. This was how it was going to end for them._

_For Daphne, this realisation came with a level of quiet acceptance. For Fred however, it wasn't in his nature to just give up and he continued to fight to free his wrists from the restraints until blood ran freely down the chair from his wrists, with the restraints no looser than before he started. It was a sadly futile exercise._

_And that realisation was simply devastating for Fred._

_He began to breathe erratically, shallow at first, but then deep and gasping, and to Daphne's horror, she realised he was suffering a panic attack._

_Back in the early days of their investigating, she had witnessed him have a panic attack a couple of times before, but on each occasion, she, or someone else, had been able to calm him. To hold him, to look him in the eye, slow his breathing and calm him again. _

_She thought about calling for help but quickly realised that if they were intending to kill them, they were very unlikely to care. She was completely robbed of the ability to physically calm him. She couldn't gently stroke his hair, she could provide no tactile comfort. She couldn't hold him, she couldn't even see him, her only asset she had left was her voice._

"_Fred," she kept her voice soothing, masking her own panic for him. "Fred, it's okay. I'm right here. Just listen to my voice and breathe with me, slowly. Come on baby...be still, please be still." She heard the frantic shuffling slow down and knew he was desperately trying to do exactly that._

"_That's it," she encouraged. "That's it Freddy, now breathe with me...slowly in...and slowly out again."_

_He exhaled noisily and after repeating the technique a few more times with him, she had got his breathing back under control and she breathed her own sigh of relief._

"_We'll be okay, I love you," she whispered as they both heard the sound of someone coming to the door._

"_I love you too Daphne," he replied but his voice was broken and hollow. Defeated. It tore Daphne's heart into a million pieces._

_But when the door opened again, his spirit had returned and he immediately started pleading again._

"_Please, whoever you are, please spare her. She was ready to leave, she took this seriously. I was the one who forced her to stay here in China! Let Daphne go. Please!"_

_The plea was met with silence at first before they heard a long, dramatic sigh from an American voice. "Permission to gag him Sir?"_

"_No, that won't be necessary," a new voice they hadn't heard before replied. He had a clipped English accent and spoke with measured authority and calmness. "Please leave us now."_

_They heard the sound of people leaving and then the door closed, leaving just the English man behind._

_His footsteps echoed noisily on the tiled floor as he walked from behind their chairs to a place somewhere in front of them. There was the sound of a chair being dragged into place and Fred realised with dismay, the man had sat himself down for a chat._

"_Buddy if you're going to give us a whole villain victory speech, please just spare us the tedium and skip straight to the end."_

"_You are arrogant to the bitter end Fred Jones. Tell me, how did you think you were going to win this? This is not one of your silly little mysteries."_

_Mentioning their mystery solving, put Fred further on edge, it further confirmed that their abduction was linked to Devon Blake. Regardless, he called the stranger's bluff._

"_And how would you know about what we do?" he asked._

"_Oh, I know more than you would even believe. I know you call yourselves Mystery Incorporated. I know your other members are Velma Dinkley and Shaggy Rogers. I know your mascot is a 'talking' Great Dane."_

_The statement turned Fred's stomach to ice but he couldn't resist reacting to that slight against Scooby Doo._

"_He is far more than just a mascot!" Fred spat out._

"_Yes, I suppose he is. That doesn't concern me right now. That should be the least of your worries. Your arrogance really is breath-taking. Anyone else would have scuttled off home but not you two. It's admirable really but regardless it is problematic. It's very problematic in fact. I'm not sure you really realise what you have got yourselves into. It's why I'm going to give you one final chance."_

_Daphne snapped to attention now after tuning out the verbal sparring between the two men._

"_What final chance?" she asked with trepidation._

"_To leave. To leave China. To never speak of this ever again. There's two plane tickets in your names to leave tomorrow morning. First class no less. It is a more than generous offer. There is just one major bit of pesky terms and conditions."_

"_Which is?" Fred asked testily._

"_Everything that happened here. You mention to no one. What happened to your brother Daphne will remain a remarkable mystery forever. You never saw that video. Your trip was a failure. You will tell no one about this. Not Velma, not Shaggy. NO ONE. Obviously this is a big decision so I'll give you both a few minutes, we'll ask you both separately. You both have to agree. We're not just going to send one of you. Think carefully about this. This is your final chance to escape. I trust you will both come to the correct decision. You have 5 minutes."_

**Somewhere above the Pacific – Present.**

After finishing her drink, Daphne headed back to her seat, to find Fred now sitting up watching TV. He took off his headphones and smiled at her.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I just went to get a drink at the bar."

"Yeah I know, I checked where you were as soon as I woke up and found you gone," he sheepishly admitted.

Given everything they had been through, it wasn't surprising.

"Are we ever going to be able to stop looking over our shoulders?" she asked with a sigh.

"Only when this is finally over," he replied grimly.

Daphne decided not to say anything about the 'interaction' at the bar. It was the proof at least, that they were telling the truth. They_ were _on the flight too.

**Hong Kong – Yesterday evening.**

_After the ultimatum, the English man left, leaving Fred and Daphne to reflect on what he had asked of them. She knew what her response was going to be, she hoped Fred would be similarly forthright._

"_Daphne," he started. "You know what we have to do right? It shouldn't even be a debate at this stage."_

"_I know."_

"_So you'll do the right thing then?" Fred asked eagerly._

"_Of course," she assured him. "It's not even in question."_

"_I love you."_

"_I love you too."_

_The man re-entered after exactly five minutes, and it seemed like he wasn't alone._

"_Ladies first," he stated cheerfully, before turning to someone else. "Please remove Mr Jones from the room."_

_Fred tried to protest, but felt his chair tipped back with force and his feet were lifted off the floor, as someone literally dragged the chair out of the room._

_Daphne gritted her teeth at the sound of Fred and the chair being forcibly dragged from the room, before the door closed with a swift bang._

"_Well, do you have an answer for me?" the man asked pleasantly._

_Daphne nodded her head and then uttered her one word reply._

_The man did not react at all, only clapped his hands to indicate the others to come back in._

_Fred was dragged backward on the chair this time, tilted behind the man pulling the chair. The man carefully set him back in place before turning to the girl. He reached under the side of her chair before delicately lifting the whole chair up over his head. The girl screamed in alarm at the sudden movement and Fred thrashed in his chair again, beyond frustrated he couldn't even see what they were doing._

"_Hey! What are you doing?!"_

"_Oh settle down Fred, Daphne is fine." He waited for the door to close again before addressing Fred. "So, same question to you, same offer, what will it be, Fred?"_

**Somewhere above the Pacific – Present.**

Travelling in First Class, even with all the uncertainty hanging over them was obviously conducive to a more pleasant flight. Either that or exhaustion at the past few days exertions finally caught up with them both. After valiantly trying to stay awake watching the in flight 'entertainment' about a pair of brothers who had jump started the actual Apocalypse, they both gave in and drifted off into the most peaceful sleep, either had experienced in a long time. They fell asleep with Daphne resting her head on his shoulder and with his arm around her side securely. Even in sleep, Fred was not relinquishing in his duty to keep her safe and protected.

They weren't aware of the man Daphne had spotted, walking over and simply observing them with his companion. He stood thoughtfully, sipping his drink.

"They're stronger than even you thought possible," he stated to his companion.

"Yes, yes they are," the second man agreed. "They're going to need to be, with what's coming next," he warned.

The man nodded in agreement and they headed back to their own seats, leaving the sleeping couple to stir; Los Angeles was finally in sight.

Shortly before the official announcement about landing, Fred slowly came round, surprised that not only had he slept virtually the whole way, but unless he had forgotten them, it had not been peppered with nightmares either.

He tried to sit up without disrupting Daphne, aware they had fallen asleep in quite an awkward position, his neck felt especially sore. As soon as he adjusted his body though, she too awoke, her eyes fluttering open and smiling as they settled on him.

"_We will shortly be landing in beautiful Los Angeles, 14.15 hours local time. Please take your seats. Thank you for flying with Cathay Pacific Airlines and we hope to see you again very soon."_

_Not in my lifetime!_ thought Daphne, and saw Fred was grinning stupidly from ear to ear now.

"We're back in the States!" he declared happily as they fastened their seatbelts for landing.

When they exited the plane a few minutes later and were setting foot on American soil again, Fred and Daphne felt weirdly emotional. They had been gone for such a long time and at one stage, it looked like it would be very doubtful that they would ever get to come home again but here they were. If there weren't so many passengers around, Fred thought he might actually get to his knees and kiss the ground itself.

They walked formally with everybody else from their flight through security, immigration and then luggage pick up. It really was their suitcases. After checking they hadn't been at all tampered with, they took them gratefully and made their way towards Arrivals. Various people ran forward to greet some of their fellow passengers, a mass of kissing and hugging and Fred and Daphne had to keep side-stepping them as they hurriedly headed for the exit and taxi rank. No-one was going to be here to greet them and that was fine.

Except that wasn't entirely the case. As they stepped past the final wave of people assembled by the barriers, they saw the dog first. On his hind legs, paws on the barrier, his tongue lolling out happily when he saw them.

Daphne and Fred paused in astonishment at the sight of Scooby Doo, and their eyes naturally travelled to the figures stood either side of them. Daphne felt her legs buckle but willed herself to keep moving to the barrier.

They stopped wheeling their cases and stood a few centimetres away just staring at their friends in confusion, who seemed similarly emotionless.

Unlike the joyful reunions taking place elsewhere in the airport, the two sets of friends merely stared at each other from a safe ditance, nobody wanting to make the move toward the other or even speak it seemed.

Finally, a gobsmacked Fred broke the unnatural silence, the first words spoken in person to each other for well over a week. "I thought you guys couldn't make it?"

"Well, we decided we couldn't have you arriving alone, you've travelled such a long way," Velma replied stiffly. Her arms resting firmly on the barrier.

"Thanks," Fred said in simple polite acknowledgement.

They continued to stare at one another awkwardly, Scooby Doo absolutely broken by the horrid, formal reunion. Shaggy had been silent until he too offered a small greeting, almost timidly. "Like, it's good to see you guys."

Velma kept up the stiff formality for a few more agonising seconds before she really took in their appearance properly. Daphne looked drained, her eyes hiding a sadness. Fred's face was horribly bruised. They both looked like they had lost weight. As Fred had approached, she had noted he moved awkwardly, obviously as a result of being shot, she had thought rationally and then shook her head. _As a result of being shot. Your friend was actually SHOT._

Her _best_ friends had been through hell and back and here they were just standing awkward as fuck right in front of them like strangers. Daphne's bottom lip wobbled uncontrollably and Velma knew she was on the verge of tears.

The cold dispiriting atmosphere was broken at the same moment. Unable to stand it any longer, Fred and Daphne suddenly rushed forward, and at the same time, Shaggy and Velma dropped the tense guard and their arms held open for a proper greeting. Daphne and Fred didn't need a second invitation.

The gang held onto each other tightly, Scooby Doo right in the middle, tears flush on everybody's faces, there was undoubtedly still a tension that hung over them all, lots of questions remained on both sides but now wasn't the time. Shaggy had one arm around each of the girls, Daphne one arm on each of the boy's backs, Fred holding Daphne and Velma and Velma holding Shaggy and Fred. They clutched each other so tightly, tears streaming down each of their faces that any passer-bys might worry whether everyone could breathe alright.

Finally they did pull apart, and everybody was smiling at each other now. Anyone looking on, would see an obviously joyous reunion, and while many might smile and then quickly move on from the group of young friends, a couple of people were watching with GREAT interest. They had kept a safe distance from Fred and Daphne as they left the plane but also kept them in full view. Now that they were all in Coolsville, things were about to get _very_ interesting indeed.

**Hong Kong – Last night.**

_After Fred and Daphne had both given their answers, Daphne was brought back into the room and her chair was once again set side by side with Fred._

_A tension now hung in the air and the English man finally spoke._

"_So, a very generous offer was presented to you both and you gave me your responses. They were exactly the same as I instructed, but unfortunately, your infernal stubbornness knows no bounds."_

"_I will never stop trying to find out what happened to my brother," Daphne boldly stated. _

"_And that goes for me too," Fred defiantly agreed. "He was my friend."_

_The man sighed loudly. "Your responses were disappointing but I cannot be too surprised. Every action you have taken here, your recklessness just FLOWS from each of your veins, it's remarkable that you're still alive even now. Your loyalty really is something to behold."_

_He paused as if he did really admire their principled stand before sounding jaded as he continued._

"_But all actions have consequences, as I'm sure you are well aware. You turned down my final offer which I'm afraid gives us very little choice now. I am genuinely sorry it has come to this."_

_Fred felt his insides twist inside in fear, and that was only heightened when he heard a surprised yelp from Daphne._

"_No, let go of me," she squealed._

"_Let go of her you bastards!" he screamed in fury as he heard the sound of her restraints been cut free now._

_He pulled at his own wrists frantically now, the plastic was cutting deep into his veins but he didn't care one jot. _

"_Freddy!" she screamed in alarm as she was dragged from the chair now._

"_No!" He cried. "Please, don't do this!"_

"_I didn't want to have to do this," The man stated sounding genuinely sorry. "But your own actions have led to this. You give us no choice right now. Please escort Daphne to the white room," he said._

_The instruction sent a chill through Fred, and a wave of panic crashed through him as he futilely tried to break free again, his tears also falling freely now. "Please!" he begged brokenly over again but the room had fallen silent now. He was all on his own. Completely broken-hearted. _

_**I've failed her.**_

_Daphne, meanwhile had been dragged from the room but rather than anyone making a move to hurt her, she was walked along briskly and then stopped outside a door._

_As she heard a key turn in the lock and the door open, she was pushed forward slightly and the blindfold was suddenly untied from behind her head, and before she could react further, the door shut._

_She blinked a few times to adjust to the sudden light, going from darkness to any light would be a tough adjustment but the white light in this room was stark and unforgiving._

_She slowly moved away from the door and took in her surroundings. The room was completely white, the walls smooth. There wasn't an awful lot she could even see in there except a giant TV screen, that was switched off._

_After a few minutes, the door suddenly opened and she shrank back in fear, backing into a corner as a man in the same robes as before walked in. This man, instead of wearing the same white skeletal masks of the one's who had abducted them, wore a golden one. It made him seem even more intimidating._

_He walked towards her but made no move to come close to her._

"_Please don't kill me," she begged, hating the pathetic whimper in her voice._

_The man reached out his arms in a placating manner, he spoke with the same English accent they had heard in the other room but he was undeniably gentler this time._

"_Daphne, I'm not going to hurt you," he stated carefully, causing her to recoil in confusion._

"_But you told us, you had no choice now, why else would you drag me out of that room?"_

_The man could see the confusion in her face. "The defiant actions of yourself and Fred have undoubtedly led to this moment," he told her mysteriously. "But I haven't brought you here to kill you." He paused, letting that sink in. "I brought you here Daphne, because you do indeed give me no choice...but to reveal the truth," he declared, his hands reaching up to remove the mask._

* * *

**DUN, DUN, DUN! We didn't quite get the full 24 hours in the end, those final hours that reveal all will be in the next chapter, sorry. It seemed the perfect place to leave it!**


	14. Two Sides to Every Story: Adam Travers

**A.N. - Okay, so this next phase has been so hard to get right hence the delay in posting, sorry for the wait! I have re-drafted, re-edited, re-structured and deleted great swathes but nothing seemed to work for me, so it's been very frustrating. The whole story is pretty much spun on it's head now and it's been so hard to structure it appropriately but I've finally decided on splitting it into two shorter chapters rather than putting it all together, it was just too much. I won't say any more but as the chapters were written concurrently, they are uploaded together so there is no wait.**

**The non-italicised 'present' of these two chapters are Saturday night/Sunday morning in Hong Kong as we fill in the final hours of the twenty four hours before Fred and Daphne wake up at the airport, and it picks up exactly where the last chapter ended.**

**The flashbacks presented here are even further back down the timeline and represented in italics and I've tried to nail down the time frame a little more to give you a better idea of the Hong Kong timeline. Hope that's not too confusing, enjoy!**

* * *

**Hong Kong – Saturday night/Early Hours of Sunday morning:**

His heart was pounding so hard in his chest, as he went to remove the ornate mask. She was watching him with a fear on her face that completely destroyed him inside. The golden mask was heavy, and it took a few seconds to lift it fully from his head. Once he had done so however, he realised he was still standing in the wig with the ridiculous fake facial additions, but he knew that she recognised him immediately even underneath the disguise.

For perhaps an entire minute, she did nothing but simply stare at him in shock, and he stared straight back, both of them unable to shake their gaze nor form any words; nothing seemed appropriate for this moment. After a few more tense seconds, he opened his mouth to try and speak just as her arm drew back. He had enough time to react, he could have moved away in time but he didn't. He took the full fury of her fist to his face anyway, he knew he more than deserved it.

She hadn't drawn blood, just knocked his glasses flying and his nose was throbbing, but he made no move to cradle his face, he only wanted to reach out to touch her. He wanted to hug her tightly but as she stood there, hatred and confusion swimming in her eyes, he knew he was a long way from that. He knew she would want answers, they both would, but he didn't even know where to begin. How do you even begin to explain why you had to 'play dead', and ended up 'kidnapping' your own sister and one of your closest friends?

* * *

_**Hong Kong – Over 4 days earlier, Wednesday, approximately 12 noon:**_

_Ethan's heart was bursting in excitement for Fred as he proudly showed off the dazzling engagement ring on his webcam. He was just about to ask his friend more questions about the proposal plans, when he saw his phone flash on the bed next to him, out of the corner of his eye. He swiped to open it one handed, while still keeping most of his attention on a buoyant Fred. He couldn't help but be annoyed by the single word flashing up – URGENT._

_He inwardly groaned to himself. **Why now dammit! Why today of all days?! It was supposed to be his day off!**_

_He knew this was something he was going to have to deal with imminently though, so he quickly shut down the conversation with Fred, hoping he didn't come across too abrupt as he left the chat, and turned his computer off._

_He knew it had been too good to be true that it had been fairly quiet recently. He had known that obviously wouldn't last, but it was most inconvenient for this to flare up again** now**._

_He made a quick call to his boss, Oliver Farshan, and was not at all heartened by what he heard._

"_Hey Ethan, it's nothing concrete OK, but there's chattering of something major brewing, which backs up the stuff you were able to get from that group last week. I'm advising everyone to be on their guard OK? We need to be extra cautious for the next couple of days until we get any more information. Stay safe."_

_His immediate reaction to hearing that unpleasant news was to quickly contact Stella; there was no indication whether this potential threat was here, or in the States, but it didn't hurt to be cautious. She thanked him for the information and then told him they were finalising plans for the big raid. _

_Ethan set the laptop down by his bedside before walking into his kitchen and pouring himself a cool glass of water. He carried it to his balcony, and then sipped it slowly as he gazed out across the city. He never really planned to come here but when Devon's links with Hong Kong were first discovered, it was a natural step for him to move to the city and he had slowly fallen in love with the place. His life had changed considerably in the two years he lived here, and it certainly pained him that he wasn't able to tell Daphne, Fred and the others, the true nature of his reason for coming to China. He knew keeping the truth from them was necessary to maintaining their safety, and he couldn't help but smile when he thought of them._

_They had become such carefree travellers right now, touring around, having fun, and solving some absolutely kooky mysteries by the sounds of their regular updates. Every time he spoke to them, they all seemed so happy and relaxed and that was exactly how he wanted it to stay. There was no need to inform them of the dangers that had developed here or in Coolsville. Their ignorance to the situation was necessary to their safety and that's all that mattered as far as Ethan was concerned._

_His phone rang again, and he found himself jumping a little in nervous anticipation, expecting to see Farshan calling back with further bad news. Instead, he was soon smiling when he saw who was video calling. He walked back into his apartment, sliding the balcony door firmly closed._

"_Hey Tomas," he greeted his fellow 'spy'. "What's up? Did Farshan give you this warning too?"_

_Tomas was German and had been part of the same groups that Ethan had infiltrated undercover. He was similarly young but had a little bit more experience than him in the whole 'spy game'._

"_Yeah, I don't take too much notice, we've been here before, remember?" Tomas scoffed._

"_Ah Tomas, this is true, but just take care of yourself though, yeah?"_

"_My young American friend, you worry too much! Look,I've got a favour to ask you, can I use your motorcycle? My car is..." Tomas made a little 'kaput' sound on the screen, followed by a sad face making Ethan laugh aloud._

"_That's some bad luck you're having lately Tomas! Are you still out today?"_

"_Ah, that's right!" Tomas recalled, swiping his hand to his forehead before grinning at Ethan salaciously. "It's your day off! 'Date' day in fact. Ethan's gonna get some!"_

_Ethan blushed, glad his European friend hadn't used an even cruder expression. "It's only the second date, Tomas!"_

"_And?" Tomas raised his eyebrows before laughing. "Look, I'm only teasing, you need some fun and time to unwind after the last month. I can't remember if you told me, does he know what you do?"_

"_He knows I work for the American government," Ethan shrugged. And that's all he needs to know."_

"_Sure, sure. So you still haven't answered me, can I have the ride? I'm quite sure you told me once that Tao doesn't like it...so..." he pouted and batted his eyelashes, causing Ethan to laugh again at how ridiculous the tattooed blond looked doing it._

"_Yes Tomas, you can take my bike. If you pop over in the next half hour, you can collect the keys before Tao picks me up, and then collect it from lock-up."_

"_You're a good man Ethan, thank you! I'll be there in well...two minutes..." Tomas turned the phone around sheepishly and Ethan could see he was already stood outside his apartment complex and had been for the duration of the conversation._

"_That was very presumptuous of you," Ethan mock scolded when Tomas was at his door a few minutes later. He made to hand over the keys into Tomas' outstretched hand but then held them back while he sternly went over the rules._

"_Do not go above the speed limit, no illegal passengers. No dangerous stunts. Not a **scratch **Tomas, you hear me?"_

"_I hear ya brother, I will take good care of her, I promise," Tomas grinned._

_Satisfied by his promise, Ethan deposited the keys into Tomas' palm, who then high-fived him with his free hand. "Later, bro, thanks again. Good luck on your date!"_

_Ethan waved and retreated back into his apartment to get ready for his date afternoon. Tao had taken full care of the arrangements this time, and he had also promised him something of a surprise. Ethan had been so looking forward to it, but the warning now played on his troubled mind._

_At 12.45 pm, Tao arrived right on time, and unsure how to greet him, Ethan stood a little awkwardly at his door, but luckily Tao took the initiative and lightly brushed his lips against Ethan's._

_Tao had a backpack on, which Ethan eyed curiously._

"_Are we going hiking? I'm not sure I'm dressed appropriately."_

_Tao looked him up and down approvingly. "You look good from where I'm standing. What you're wearing is more than fine. Let's go."_

_Ethan grabbed his jacket and his own smaller backpack, and then locked up. He took Tao's hand, relishing his soft, delicate grip as they got into the elevator together._

"_You still haven't told me where we're going yet?"_

_Tao beamed a smile in response. "I told you it was a surprise, are all you Americans so impatient?" he teased lightly as they hurried outside and he politely opened his car door for Ethan. "Oh I almost forgot, your cell please," he said, holding out his palm._

"_My cell?" Ethan replied, a little panicked. "What do you need my cell for?"_

"_Where we are going, I don't want any distractions. I know you government types are oh so busy but this **is **your day off. What harm could there be in switching it off just for a few hours? I would like your full and undivided attention this afternoon." Tao smiled widely, running his fingertips along Ethan's arm._

_Ethan felt a delicious thrill, both from Tao's words and the feathery light touch on his bicep, but he was torn. The idea of completely switching off for a few hours and spending the time with Tao sounded like complete bliss; this was the first proper day off he had had in **months** and things had been pretty draining. But that warning was still very much prevalent in his head, it was unspecific right now and they had had similar warnings in the past that amounted to little. Still, he knew it was unwise to dismiss it completely and knew he was always going to remain on guard regardless, the same as any other day. So long as he stayed alert, it was okay to shut out others wasn't it? It would only be for a few hours after all. Tao smiled beseechingly at him and Ethan made the rash decision._

"_You're right, a complete switch off would be amazing Tao," he smiled and then pushed the button to switch his cell off completely and put it in Tao's hands. "I'm all yours!" he said confidently but with a nagging doubt still in the back of his mind._

_**What's the worst that could happen?**_

* * *

**Hong Kong – Saturday night/ Early hours of Sunday morning:**

Daphne knew instantly despite the further tame disguise, that she was somehow staring at her own brother. There was probably a good long minute where she did nothing, she couldn't be completely sure that she was even still breathing in fact. A wave of emotions then crashed into her all at once. She could barely even begin to comprehend the fact he was almost certainly the one behind their abduction, which was bad enough, because only one feeling was insistent for now;

_**He allowed you to believe he was dead**._

The anger at him for that alone was overwhelming, and she found herself unconsciously suddenly slamming her fist into his face. He staggered backward a little in shock, his stupid fake glasses flying off, then made a move to reach out to her. She didn't shake his hand off as it rested lightly on her shoulder but she couldn't look him in the eye. She found herself shaking instead as she confronted him furiously.

"How **could** you Ethan?! How could you let us think that you were dead? We watched that video. How can you possibly be here now? Was it all fake?!"

"I wish it was fake. Believe me, You don't know how much I wish this was all some staged nightmare but that video is more than real Daphne." His face looked pained now, a haunted expression in his eyes and he shuddered. "But it wasn't me on that bike."

"So it was a decoy? Why did you need to fake your own death?" She asked in confusion.

"There was nothing fake about any of this Daphne!" Ethan cried, a little angrily now. "The only reason why I'm not the one, that was carried away in the waves with a bullet in my skull, is little more than just a pure twist of fate. It **SHOULD** have been me."

* * *

_**Hong Kong, Wednesday, late afternoon:**_

_The afternoon spent with Tao had been one of complete bliss for Ethan. Tao had driven them a little way out of the city to this gorgeous little forest and they had enjoyed a picnic purely in just each other's company, and without another soul around for miles. _

_And for those brief hours, Ethan had been able to forget everything. Forget about Devon Blake and his ever sprawling criminal empire. Forget about the terrible crimes that were happening in Coolsville on a daily basis, and forget about the dangerous assignments he himself had been a part of in this unfamiliar country. Instead, he had spent the time totally relaxed, getting to know his date, Tao. _

_Tao was a 28 year old private music tutor who visited children in their homes to give them lessons. Ethan had found him on a dating app and was initially drawn in by his profile photo; dark-haired, handsome, gorgeous eyes, great smile. Exactly his type. Luckily, when they met in person, he found everything about him on paper translated to his real life persona too. Tao was kind and easy-going, and very easy to talk to. While Tao talked candidly about his family, Ethan was much more guarded for obvious reasons. He couldn't divulge anything about his work life either in case it inadvertently put Tao in harm's way, but instead he found himself opening up about Daphne and **Mystery Inc**._

_Like most people, Tao was incredibly sceptical when he first heard the stories but as they lay on their backs on the grass, the sun warming their faces and their arms entwined, he became more and more invested in their adventures._

"_I can't believe people really go around in masks like that when committing crimes!" he exclaimed, wide-eyed. "Do they not even consider how ridiculous that is?"_

_Ethan kept quiet on the inspiration for the sudden spike in the costumed villains trend in Coolsville and beyond, and instead shrugged indifferently. "I guess they're not thinking straight at all. Most of them are pretty desperate or crazy, or a risky combination of both."_

"_Your friends though, they must be so brave themselves to get involved in something so dangerous."_

"_Oh they're the very best!" Ethan said enthusiastically. He propped himself up on his elbows, and pushed his sunglasses onto his head to regard Tao properly. "Seems as though I can't show you any photos because you insisted on taking my phone away..." he gently teased. "Let me tell you all about them instead."_

_Tao made himself more comfortable too, leaning to lay on his side, facing Ethan, his black t-shirt riding up a little as he did so. "Go ahead."_

"_Okay, so first there's Shaggy. He is literally **the** coolest guy. He's so free-spirited but he has a heart of gold, he's so caring and always so positive. He lost both his parents at a young age, but it hasn't held him back. He eats like no man I've ever met, but he's just like really pure, y'know? He's brave too. He acts like this big scaredy-cat but if his friends need him, he'll always be right there no matter what."_

"_And then there's Velma. Wow, where do you start with her? She's probably the most intelligent woman I've ever met, I mean we're talking a stupendous IQ here. She can solve a puzzle in minutes, and if you need someone to figure out a clue, she is definitely your woman. She is a little..." Ethan paused, trying to decide how to phrase what he wanted to say adequately. "...hard to love at first." He cringed at his words and immediately tried again. "God no that sounds **awful**! What I mean is, you really need to take your time to get to know her. It was probably months before I really felt like I **knew** her and she is definitely one fascinating cool chick._

_"So then we have Fred. Fred is genuinely the bravest guy I've ever met and he's so selfless. He puts everyone before himself and would do anything for his friends. He's super smart too, he's especially gifted when it comes to figuring out how to trap the bad guys. When they became serious about the 'mystery solving' thing, they made him their leader and it was such a fine choice. He's headstrong and decisive. He's one of my very best friends in fact." Ethan knew he was gushing now, but talking about each member of the gang reminded him of how much he missed them all._

"_Is he hot?" Tao asked deftly, catching Ethan by surprise. "You sound pretty in love with him."_

"_He actually saved my life once," Ethan admitted. "It's hard not to be in awe of him. And yeah he's 'hot', he doesn't swing our way though. In fact that brings me nicely round to our fourth member; who Fred's actually getting engaged to probably about now. I'm so excited!"_

"_Aw nice," Tao commented politely._

"_So in my very unbiased opinion I've left the best until last. My beautiful half-sister Daphne," he announced with real pride in his voice. "She is so fierce and gutsy. She looks like this totally innocent little girly girl type because she loves to wear pink and purple, but, underestimate her at your peril. She loves martial arts and is like this tiny little whirlwind of strength and power. She has had to deal with a** lot** over the last few years and she's done it so effortlessly. She's such a tough little cookie. I couldn't be prouder of her."_

"_They all do sound like remarkable people, Ethan," Tao agreed. "Wait, didn't you tell me there were five of them in this group though?"_

_Ethan chuckled, a huge smile spreading across his face now as he thought of that all important fifth member. "Oh shoot! How could I forget Scooby! Scooby Doo is Shaggy's Great Dane and he's just an amazing dog, he's so loveable and loyal. He would do anything for any of them. The bond they all have with him is quite extraordinary and of course when he started talking..." he grinned slyly, watching Tao for his reaction._

"_Shut up. No **way**!"_

"_Yes way," he affirmed playfully. "He can't talk like full sentences or anything, but there's definitely some speech. It's kind of like someone with a speech impediment. It's adorable. I've seen the videos."_

"_You're just totally lying to me now?" Tao said questioningly._

"_I swear down it's all true! Google them when you get home. They're getting sort of a reputation now."_

_They had spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's arms, chatting and kissing, and by the end of it, Ethan knew he was already beginning to fall heavily for Tao. He was just the slice of 'normal' that he needed right now._

_Just as it was starting to get dark, they drove back to the city, listening to music in the car, before spending a further couple of lazy hours at Tao's apartment. Around 9.30 pm, Ethan reluctantly decided he needed to surface from the 'Tao bubble' and made plans to get home and hail a cab. The subsequent goodbye on the doorstep was heartfelt and prolonged._

"_I had a really amazing time today Tao, thank you so much for doing this, it was exactly what I needed."_

"_You work too hard Ethan. It's good for you to have a break," Tao replied sincerely, and Ethan kissed him again, a long lingering kiss this time that he was so very reluctant to break apart from._

"_I'll call you soon, okay?" he said, after hearing his cab beep from outside. _

"_Bye Ethan. See you soon."_

_Ethan kept his eyes on Tao until he closed his apartment door and then jogged down the stairs and outside to his cab. He pulled the door of the car open, still with a goofy smile on his face. He quickly turned to the driver to direct him where to go and then settled back in his seat contentedly._

"_Good night?" the driver asked. _

"_Just a really great date," Ethan replied dreamily._

"_I'm pleased for you kid. There's too much bad going on in the world."_

"_Sure is," Ethan sighed, immediately pulled out of his blissful state and back into the real world. He finally switched his phone back on, alarmed when he was immediately assaulted by several notification beeps._

"_Someone's popular!" the driver commented, before turning up the radio for the news. "Sorry, just wanted to hear the latest update."_

_Ethan nodded politely, but had no idea what the man was talking about. Instead he turned to look at his phone, his concerns immediately rising when he saw the sheer number of messages and voice mails left on his cell over such a short period of time. He got the feeling he was about to severely regret switching off for the afternoon. There was a myriad of short text messages from his boss._

"_**Ethan, where are you? Call me NOW!"**_

"_**Ethan, this isn't funny, I need you to call me!"**_

"_**Holy shit Ethan, it is YOU they're after, we just got the intel confirmed. You need to go to ground NOW!"**_

_Ethan felt his mouth go dry as he read that message, it had been sent 4 and a half hours ago. His fears were building as he called up the first voicemail to be met with the unfamiliar frantic tone of his boss' voice. Oliver Farshan was usually so calm and composed no matter the situation, as the head of the operation here to take Devon's empire down, but that composure was sorely missing here._

"_**Ethan, I don't know where you are but you need to know this..."** There was a pause before Farshan continued, sounding weary and strained now.**"We can't be sure yet, but it seems likely that the bombing is also linked to the threat here."**_

_**Bombing?!** Ethan jolted in full panic now. **What was Farshan talking about? What the hell had he missed?**_

_He didn't have long to wonder, the news report crackled to life on the car radio. It was read out in Cantonese but Ethan knew enough now to translate the key points into English. Even if he knew no other part of the language, the word 'Coolsville' stood out by a country mile._

"_**The latest news on the tragic bombing in America is that almost thirty police personnel are believed to be missing after the attack in Coolsville, California..."**_

_Ethan felt like he couldn't breathe as soon as he heard the news. He felt like he was drowning underwater, unable to break the surface. He had kept his voicemail messages cycling and heard his boss almost **crying** now, begging him not to go home as it wasn't safe. He abruptly pressed 'end' on his voicemail, staring numbly out of the window._

_The driver glanced over at him, seeing the rapid shock on the young man's face. "Yeah, that was AWFUL. You didn't hear?"_

"_No," Ethan managed to choke out in reply. "When, when did this happen?"_

"_Oh, it was like mid-afternoon here, so hours ago. Are you OK?"_

_Ethan was struggling to keep control of his thoughts but just about managed to make a request to the driver calmly enough. "Uh, yeah. Could you please just drop me here?"_

_The driver looked surprised and concerned. "You sure? We're still some way from your destination. You don't look so good, maybe I should drop you off at the hosp..."_

"_NO!" Ethan snapped, before trying to appear calmer again. "No, **thank you.** Here is good." He paid the driver, and left the car, walking into the heart of Hong Kong, still several blocks from home. He staggered into a late night cafe and listlessly ordered a coffee. He slid into a corner booth, whilst he played the rest of his voice mails, which were slowly getting worse with every message._

"_**Get out now Ethan! Your cover is blown, they're coming after you."**_

_**Shit, shit, shit!** _

_Everything had spectacularly crashed in the space of one lazy 'off the grid' afternoon. He cursed himself for his recklessness. He had now been compromised. It seemed that there were very few safe places any more, and just what the HELL had happened in Coolsville?!_

_He frantically tried to dial first Stella, and then Will, noting with concern he also had a missed call from Fred. There was no response from either of the Coolsville Detectives. He opened the internet app on his phone to a news page and immediately found himself fighting the urge to be sick as he read the cold, hard facts. A bomb had been detonated in down-town Coolsville, just moments after Police had entered the building for a planned raid. There were already thought to be a number of fatalities, though their identities had not yet been confirmed. _

_**Oh god, oh god.**_

_**The raid had been a set up.**_

_**A deadly trap. **_

_**Fuck.**_

_And he had suddenly been targeted here in China after all this time and several successful 'missions'. It surely couldn't be a coincidence. He barely acknowledged the girl as she brought him his drink, his eyes were still glued grimly to his phone. The very last voicemail had been sent around an hour and a half ago. Tentatively he pressed play. His boss sounded utterly defeated now, no longer frantic. _

"_**God Ethan, this is so fucked. They know who you are. We keep hearing about 'the nephew.' We've heard they're tracking your motorcycle right now. Fuck, I think we might even have got a mole...if by some miracle you're still safe, call me when you can."**_

_It was all Ethan could do in that moment to not to scan each and every face in the cafe. Why had the messages then stopped so abruptly? A chill went right up his spine as he fully contemplated Farshan's phrase; _

_**'We've heard they're tracking your motorcycle...'**_

_**Tomas. **_

* * *

**Hong Kong, Saturday night/ Early hours of Sunday morning:**

Daphne still looked incredibly hostile but indicated she was at least willing to listen as Ethan continued to lament harshly about fate and chance.

"Just a stupid twist of fate, that's all it was. They only wanted me. I innocently lent my motorcycle to a friend that afternoon and because of that action, he was murdered instead of me! I thought I was doing him a favour! I actually signed his death warrant."

Daphne saw Ethan's guilt-ridden expression and knew his pain was genuine, it didn't change how she felt however.

"I'm sorry about that Ethan, I truly am. But it doesn't explain this whole charade. This still makes no sense to me at all. Why am I here now as your _prisoner_. Why did you do this to _us?"_

Her face was full of hurt now, demanding answers he knew he was going to struggle to give because they were so painful.

"It was never supposed to be this way Daphne," he stated tearfully before becoming angrier again, his voice full of resent now. "You were never supposed to _be here!"_

* * *

_**Hong Kong, Thursday, midnight:**_

_After the initial devastation of learning Tomas had been put in the firing line in his place, Ethan had then gone straight into 'soldier' mode, blandly following the protocol that had been set out to assume a new identity. There had been no further communication from anyone on his team. He travelled on foot to the storage locker he had procured some time ago which contained everything he needed._

_Inside the fairly spacious lock-up were all of his fake papers and documents pertaining to his new identity. He went through the motions of physically 'becoming' his new persona – Adam Travers, a computer developer from London. 'Adam' had black hair that he liked to secure back into a little ponytail at the nape of his neck, he also had a full bushy beard and dressed casually in polo shirts. His 'geek' look was completed by thick, black glasses. Ethan shed his own clothes into a black bag and monotonously adopted his 'new look'. The clothing and the glasses were fine, but the wig and the beard itched like a bitch almost instantaneously. He knew it would take him a long time to get used to that. He examined himself in the mirror and began practising saying his new name in the English accent he had already mastered._

"_Hi, I'm Adam, how can I help you?"_

_The final part of protocol was the hardest, as he was instructed to destroy his cell phone. Destroying the piece of plastic itself wasn't the hard part, it was everything that went with it. He had a ton of work cells but this was his personal cell for when he was off duty. His entire life was contained in this phone, all of his memories past and present, everything that made him Ethan Dillon. And that's exactly why it had to go._

_He always knew there was a risk that this day would come, he had adopted various persona's over the last two years for assignments but this was likely to be a permanent change. He couldn't be Ethan any more. It was such monumentally cruel timing. He had just met someone he regarded as special but already he knew he had to leave him to protect him._

_He placed his phone on the table; the wallpaper was of himself and Daphne last year when she had visited Hong Kong. Their arms were around each other, smiling into the camera whilst Fred took their picture. They hadn't known then what Ethan was truly doing here, they wouldn't know now. He'd contact them eventually but only when it was safe._

_He raised a heavy hammer and in one fluid motion before he could hesitate, he smashed it down hard on his phone. Once, twice, three times, as fragments of glass and plastic rained down onto the floor. Once he was sure it was fully destroyed, he swept the pieces into the same bag with his old clothes and tied it tight._

_Next, he switched on the police scanner, and though he had feared it from the moment he heard Farshan's message about the **motorcycle**, hearing some actual confirmation that something **had** happened to Tomas was devastating._

_The chatter on the radio he picked up was about some high speed accident between a car and a motorcycle and the bike had gone over the reservation into the ocean below. The car didn't stop and they were trying to trace it. The rider was not found, though everyone doubted the chances of finding him alive._

_Ethan knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was Tomas, and he also knew it was definitely **not** an accident. He sank down heavily on to the dirty floor, numb with grief now. Tomas was dead because of him. Someone had come after him, and because today of all days Tomas had borrowed his motorcycle, he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and now he was **dead**._

_They were both in the same game and knew the risks and dangers involved but this was a truly devastating turn of events for Ethan. He allowed himself to grieve Tomas, opening up a couple of cans to toast him before he shook himself to get down to business and wrote down everything he knew._

_His identity had been compromised and someone had set out to kill him. Due to an unfortunate turn of events, they had killed Tomas instead. Shortly before this, the raid undertaken by Stella and Will in Coolsville, and supported by their own sources here, had been a set-up. There had been an explosion at the warehouse. Working through the time difference in his head as he plotted these two events, he realised there wasn't much time at all from the explosion in America, to those first calls from Farshan urging him his cover had been blown. They were undoubtedly linked. He knew exactly what the link was, grimly drawing a line from each side of the paper to a circle in the middle. Inside the circle he wrote one word heavily in the marker, pressing on hard with each letter; DEVON. He had launched a devastating counter-strike, aiming to take out Stella, Will and Ethan, those who were quietly pursuing him and trying to take down his vast criminal empire._

_Ethan didn't know how successful Devon had been in Coolsville, updates were sketchy with little detail but it was prudent to assume the worst. He realised that it was highly likely Devon's minions would assume they had been successful with killing him too. If they were under orders just to eliminate the motorcyclist, it was unlikely they'd hang about to double check the identity of the rider. They had no reason to suspect it wasn't him. He figured that's why the alerts from Farshan had stopped so abruptly around about the time they heard about the crash._

_One way or another, Ethan Dillon was now dead. _

_He was Adam Travers now. He pulled on a dark cap, a very unstylish parka and stuffed everything he needed, including weapons, into his backpack and left the lock up carrying the black bag of his 'past'. It was the very small hours in Hong Kong now but there was plenty of people about still, so he was careful to walk in the shadows and the backstreets. He ditched the bag in a dumpster a few blocks away and then made his way to the grimy apartment he had rented in his new identity as a precaution a month ago. The 'apartment' was more like a bedsit, it was so grotty and unclean, nothing like his own pristine apartment. The walls were paper thin and it only contained the absolute bare essentials but it was now home for 'Adam' for the foreseeable future. Ethan lay down on the narrow single bed, hands clasped behind his head, staring at the ceiling._

_He was going to need some sleep but it wasn't going to be easy. The old adage -'What a day' barely seemed to cover it. A day that had started out so promisingly and teased a delightful new beginning with Tao, had been cruelly ripped from him in a matter of hours. Devon had completely blind-sided them with a double pronged assault. Ethan should be dead. Stella and Will probably were. His only shred of comfort was that the kids should be safe in Hawaii. Fred was proposing to Daphne! Today should have been perfect, but all there was for Ethan to contemplate now was a lurid darkness. Only sheer luck ensured he was still alive, and he knew that it was a lonely secret that was going to have to hold for some time._

_**Hong Kong, Thursday morning:**_

_The next morning, 'Adam' rose early and went to grab some essentials from the nearby grocery store. He had managed a little sleep last night but damn if that beard wasn't already irritating the hell out of him! He pined for his usual clean-shaven chin, every time a new crumb landed in the wispy curled hairs as he ate breakfast. __**Ugh! How do people live like this? **He thought in disgust as he flecked another morsel to the floor. He could take it off and put it back on when he went out but it was such a pain to get just right every time that he just put up with it. He pivoted between the apartment and the lock-up for the rest of the morning, transferring everything to his new home and leaving no trail behind at the storage facility. __Once he had everything, he began using one of the walls to document everything he knew, including anything he thought significant from previous assignments, it was exhausting but necessary. __After he wrote '**nobody knows I'm still alive'** he frowned and re-considered, he had to find a way to let Farshan know at least. He trusted Farshan with his life. He selected one of the burner phones and dialled his number from memory and waited for him to pick up._

"_Yes?" the Detective said, sounding grizzled and weary. "Who is this?"_

_Ethan spoke calmly in his new native English accent. "This is Adam Travers."_

_There was a long pause on the other end of the line and Ethan knew his boss was struggling to process this without drawing suspicion. He and Farshan were the only people who knew about 'Adam', it was Farshan who had helped to develop the identity._

_Eventually he heard his voice again, more professional and measured. "I see, one moment please Adam."_

_Ethan heard movement and rustling and knew Farshan was walking to somewhere safe and private._

"_Ethan?" Farshan hissed in a low voice. "What the fuck?! Is that really you?"_

"_It's me," Ethan revealed, causing Farshan to swear again._

"_How? How is this even possible?! We found your motorcycle. At the bottom of a great big ruddy cliff face, smashed to bits. I KNOW you didn't just walk away from that...and even if you somehow survived that fall, you would never survive the bullet in your skull so listen you prick, I don't know how you got this name and I guess you just wanted to fuck with us some more you sick, sick bastard. Was the video not enough?!"_

_Ethan was completely stunned by Farshan's reaction, but only really took note of one phrase: **'You would never survive the bullet in your skull.'**_

"_Woah, Oliver," he said using his first name that was very rarely used by anyone else. "It really is me. Yes, it was my motorcycle but it wasn't me riding it. Are you telling me **they shot him?**"_

_Ethan's hand was already balling into a fist while he clutched the phone tightly. **Bastards! **_

"_Fuck Ethan. I don't believe it," Farshan whispered. "It wasn't you?"_

"_No," Ethan exhaled sorrowfully. "It was Tomas. He borrowed my bike yesterday afternoon. God, it was just a dumb twist of fate why it wasn't me. Did they really shoot him?" he asked in a small voice._

"_Oh man. Tomas, nobody had even reported him missing. God." Farshan sounded very emotional as he then explained what happened. "They tracked him...you...your motorcycle down... They tailed him and then waited until he was in just the right place and then they shot him. He went straight over the reservation Ethan, he didn't stand a chance."_

_Angry tears welled up in Ethan's eyes and he thumped the bed hard._

"_We know exactly how this went down because they sent us a video of it this morning."_

"_**They filmed it?!"** Ethan was truly sickened to his core. It wasn't enough to murder Tomas but then to send the gloating proof to his boss, there was only one man he knew who thrived on such sadism. Oliver very quickly confirmed his suspicion._

"_Look Ethan, I'm absolutely gutted about Tomas and by god we'll get these bastards but the really important thing is that they believe they won. They think they killed **YOU**. The video was gloating from Devon that he had 'finished the job'. We have to keep it this way. You have to stay dead for now."_

"_I know," Ethan said grimly. "Hence 'Adam Travers' calling you. "'Finished the job', do we know for definite if the explosion killed Detective's White and Barnum?"_

"_Not for sure no, but we have to expect the worst. Fuck Ethan, there's something else you need to know and you're not going to like it."_

_Ethan held his breath, he didn't think things could get much worse. He very quickly realised, they really could. _

"_About an hour ago, we found out someone purporting to be from the US Embassy here contacted your sister..."_

_As soon as Ethan heard mention of Daphne, he went cold, forgetting to use his fake accent as he demanded further information instantly._

"_What the hell do you mean, someone 'purporting' to be from the Embassy?!"_

"_It wasn't one of ours. We can only conclude it was **them**."_

_Ethan exhaled loudly before asking calmly. "Did they tell her that I was dead?"_

"_No, they only told her you were missing in fact..."_

_Ethan suddenly got a sinking feeling about what Farshan was going to say next. "Oh god Oliver no, please say no."_

"_I'm sorry Ethan but I've had it confirmed. Your sister and her boyfriend are on their way over here."_

_Ethan let out an almighty scream of frustration, uncaring who heard it in this moment. **Daphne and Fred were on their way to Hong Kong. And going to fall head first into danger.**_

_**To be continued.**_

* * *

**A.N. So there you have it! I know some of you worked out the 'twist' and we'll see in great detail how this plays out as we see glimpses of Daphne and Fred's time again in Hong Kong through Ethan's eyes this time and see how we reach the point in our present – Daphne and Fred 'abducted' by Ethan. And the delicious fall out as they come to terms with this.**

**I'm going to level with you now and tell you when I first plotted the bare bones of this sequel, even before I had quite finished '_New Beginnings' _that I fully intended killing Ethan. But as I fleshed out the remainder of '_New Beginnings' _and the start of this, I realised I did actually love the character I'd created and explored the possibility of what could happen if everyone only 'thought' he had died and was then able to create this complex narrative. When I had people telling me they still had hope for him to be alive, it cemented to me that that's what I should do. And it's been a device to allow me to create an incredibly rich Hong Kong adventure that I only originally conceived to be a very short side plot. I realised I really did enjoy writing Ethan too much to have him die as a mere 'revenge' plot device so instead we have this devious and complicated web of deceit with many layers as you'll find out in the second part!**


	15. The Bitterest Pill to Swallow

_**A.N: **_**And onward to the next chapter! Same rules apply here, the present is in Hong Kong, Saturday night/Early hours of Sunday morning. Flashbacks from Ethan's perspective are in italics. It's mostly told in chronological order but there's a couple of out of order sequences to present Fred and Daphne's perspectives as they played out separately. Generally anything with Fred takes place about an hour after Daphne's but for dramatic effect, sometimes their reactions are presented side by side ;) Enjoy.**

* * *

**Hong Kong, Saturday night/Early hours of Sunday morning:**

"So you're saying 'what' exactly, Ethan?" Daphne asked him tiredly as Ethan claimed there was no genuine request from the Embassy at all. "That it was actually Devon who lured us here instead?"

"It seems likely," Ethan agreed. "They didn't waste any time in getting you both over here. I didn't want you or Fred anywhere near here."

Daphne sat down on the floor now, her back slumped flat against the wall, her elbows resting on her knees and held her head in her hands. "God Ethan, I can't process this. My head is spinning! You say you didn't want us here but you were declared officially missing to us. O_f course _we were going to come out! Would you rather us not have known at all?"

Ethan scrambled to sit down closer by her side but still give her enough space. He took a deep breath, knowing that what he was going to say was going to hurt.

"Honestly Daphne, that was always the plan as far as I was concerned. That, if anything ever happened to me here, there was a strict instruction not to let you know. After the tragic mix-up with Tomas, we were presented with an opportunity."

"To make us believe you _were _dead?" Daphne said tearfully. "How could you do that Ethan? After everything I went through with Devon and all that time when he had convinced me you were dead, you went ahead with a plan to do exactly that _again?!"_

"We had no choice Daph. By the time a team was mobilised, you had already been attacked twice! God I've never been so scared, I couldn't get to you in time at the subway station, thank God Fred was alert!"

"So I was right when I thought we were being followed from the hotel that morning? That was you?" Daphne asked.

"Your sharp instincts did not desert you," he praised, though he could see she was in no mood to be praised. "Of course. As soon as you landed in China, I tried to keep close to you or had someone who could keep close to you if I couldn't."

"And yet none of that 'surveillance' prevented Fred from getting shot did it?" she reflected bitterly.

"No," Ethan hung his head. "It was deemed too risky for me to go to the apartment so a team were sent instead, they were just too late. That moment, Fred actually being shot, it changed everything for me."

* * *

_**Hong Kong, Friday evening:**_

"_How the heck could you have allowed this to happen Oliver?!" Ethan raged. To say he was livid to find out Fred had been shot, was an understatement._

_Fred and Daphne had arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday and immediately checked into the hotel. They hadn't emerged until early on Friday morning when they had a meeting with Farshan who was supposedly the lead detective on Ethan's case. They didn't know he was in essence his 'handler'. Farshan had done his best to gently, but not too obviously, dissuade the couple but recognised immediately that Daphne was not going to just accept that he was dead, which could prove to be a problem._

_Of course then things had taken a decisively awful turn for the worst after the two had been attacked twice after leaving the meeting, and culminated in Fred being shot, after they turned up at Ethan's apartment._

_Farshan had decided to privately meet up with Ethan at one of their secure residences to deliver the bad news in person. It had sent Ethan reeling, and Oliver Farshan was once again reminded how close Ethan was to this operation, and bearing in mind he was presumed dead right now, how dangerous this potentially was getting._

"_I'm very sorry Ethan, it took everyone by surprise how quickly they attacked. We were just on our way up when they attacked from the balcony."_

"_Was it Devon's men?" Ethan demanded, the fury written all over his face._

"_We have to assume so. Look, the good news is they definitely got away. Devon's men weren't able to track them after they fled the apartment, but we were."_

_Ethan was cheered by that slightly. "Are they going to hospital?"_

"_It would appear not. They are obviously savvy enough to know they would be huge targets if he turns up to get treatment for a gunshot wound at one of the local A and E's."_

"_You said he was shot in the shoulder, he's still going to need treatment to prevent infection at the very least."_

"_I believe they actually may be seeking alternative treatment. Do they know anyone else here?"_

_Ethan furrowed his brow. "I'm not aware that Daphne has any connection here, but Fred might."_

"_They seem to be heading out of the city," Farshan revealed. "We'll keep the tail on them, but if we can find them so easily, then so can Devon's men," he warned._

"_What do you suggest Oliver?" Ethan asked wearily. "I just need them out of this country and safe, so we can concentrate on the rest of this sorry mess."_

"_Well, there is something we can do," Oliver raised a little tentatively. "But you're really not going to like it."_

_Ethan immediately went on guard, folding his arms. "Go on."_

"_Keeping you safe has to be our main priority, so you having to take a step back is the first thing..."_

"_While people are out there trying to **kill** Daphne and Fred?! Forget that one Oliver, I'm not going to stay here, all locked up in a safe house!"_

"_Ethan..."_

"_No! This is a non-starter, you can't keep me locked up here, while someone hunts down my sister! I promise I won't get too close, I'm Adam now, but I am NOT standing down. Not while they're in danger." Ethan stood defiant and Oliver sighed, he knew that was going to be the response from the tough but stubborn American, but he thought he would try anyway._

"_Fine, but we keep the number of people who know the truth about you to the absolute barest minimum. As far as I'm concerned Ethan Dillon is dead. We'll only use a small team but Ethan you really are going to have to hold back at times. It is a massive advantage that you are still alive and I won't allow yourself to jeopardise that by doing something rash. Is that understood?"_

"_Totally," Ethan agreed quickly, relieved Farshan didn't just lock him up in the safe house regardless._

"_Okay. It's clear that unfortunately they really are serious targets now. You said someone tried to push her under a subway train not long after they met me?"_

"_Yes," Ethan swallowed, remembering the fear and sense of helplessness as he stood just too far back in the station. Even after Fred caught her, his natural instinct was still to go to them but knew he couldn't. "This guy just came out of nowhere and barged her clean off her feet. It was harrowing to witness that happen to anyone deliberately but to my sister? I've never felt so helpless."_

"_So that seems to indicate someone had pursued them since they left the Embassy, did you get a sense that anyone else was following them as you observed them from a distance?"_

"_No, but it's possible my instincts weren't as sharp as normal," he admitted._

_Farshan curtly nodded in understanding. He had seen many others crumble when family were involved and that was why he was desperate for Ethan to come off the front line, but he knew there wasn't a snowball in hell's chance of him standing down voluntarily._

"_I think what would be for the best before Devon's men catch up with them again, is to be even more persuasive ourselves in encouraging them to leave," he suggested to Ethan's instant amusement._

"_Oh, you really don't know my sister," he chuckled ruefully. "If she thinks there's any kind of **mystery** involving my 'disappearance', well, neither she or Fred will back down from it easily, even when they know they're in danger."_

"_Well, she's clearly as crazy and stubborn as you then," Farshan retorted. "Him too. They've been attacked twice already and it doesn't seem to be weakening their resolve, we might need to find a way to forcefully persuade them to leave," he finished, his expression becoming graver._

"_Are you seriously suggesting we threaten them Oliver?! This is my sister and friend we're talking about here!" Ethan was very swiftly alarmed by the tone the conversation had taken._

"_Of course I'm not suggesting hurting them! On the contrary, we're trying to protect them, but it seems to me they might need something like a short, sharp shock."_

"_More so than being ACTUALLY fucking shot at, because that hasn't seemed to stop them, has it?" Ethan hit back, glaring his disapproval._

"_Clearly it is some vain hope that you are alive that is keeping them going so we need to find a way to fully extinguish that hope."_

"_And do you have a plan how to convince them of this?"_

"_We show them the video that Devon's goons sent us."_

_Ethan exhaled sharply before responding. "That's so brutal Oliver. From what you told me, what's on that videotape will destroy them."_

"_Better that than remaining in harm's way here trying to 'uncover the truth'. We both know what a catastrophic road that could lead down. I know this is rough, but you know deep down it's the right thing to do. What is it they say, you have to be cruel to be kind?" Oliver replied, smiling sadly._

_Ethan knew that Oliver was right, that taking away any hope from Fred and Daphne was a necessary but hideous step forward and he very reluctantly agreed with Oliver's plan. _

Little did he know at that point, but allowing them to witness 'his death' on that video tape probably was one of the kinder things he ended up doing for them. The simple planned action of merely delivering the tape, paled in comparison to how the whole unfortunate incident actually played out, especially for poor Fred. This was the moment an unforgivable line was crossed and a deep betrayal was set in motion.

* * *

**Hong Kong – Saturday night/Early hours of Sunday morning:**

She had been gone for almost an hour. It was the longest hour of Fred Jones' already tumultuous life. He had been left alone and restrained for the whole time, going almost feral in his desperate attempts to free himself. Again and again, he had thrashed, twisted and yanked his wrists against the piercing plastic. When that didn't work, he tried using his teeth to try and bite through the restraints but that too was a failure. All he achieved was filling his mouth with blood from his badly cut wrists, and exhausted, he finally stilled in defeat. The fact he could hear nothing at all from outside the room felt somehow more disturbing to him than if he could hear her screaming in pain.

By the time the door finally opened again, Fred's wrists were such a bloodied mess that it rapidly gave their captors' rise for concern. When they saw the blood soaked wrists of the blindfolded man, one of them ran out and quickly returned with swathy bandages, wrapping them around each wrist but still keeping the ties in place.

"You know," Fred sneered. "If you really did care, you'd just cut me loose."

"It's your turn in the White Room," another man declared suddenly by his ear, causing Fred to stiffen.

"Where's Daphne?"

"She's right here, she's absolutely fine, she's not even restrained any more."

"Daphne?" he called out hopefully, but his heart plummeted when she didn't respond to him at all.

"What did you do to her?!" he furiously demanded. "Why isn't she speaking to me?! Is this some kind of brain-washing cult or something?!" He tried again desperately. "Sweetheart?"

"I'm fine Fred," she finally replied, sounding different, distant.

He didn't get chance to respond to her worrying change of state as they suddenly began dragging him in the chair again, not willing to cut his bindings while he was in this agitated state, and he cursed angrily at the faces he couldn't see.

"I'm going to kill you if you laid a finger on her!"

They dragged him out of the room swiftly and along a corridor, and into another room he assumed was this so called 'White Room'.

"What the hell is going on?" he angrily demanded, surprised when his blindfold was suddenly untied from behind.

He looked around the room quickly, only seeing one man who was standing in front of a giant TV screen. It was one of the white masked 'skeleton' men who had abducted them earlier in the evening.

"Your stubbornness has created many problems for us," the man bemoaned regretfully, deliberately looking the young man in the eye.

"Just get this brain-washing shit over with," Fred replied in a defiant bored tone. "That's why we're in here right?"

"No Fred, you're actually here to learn the truth at last," the man suddenly earnestly stated, catching Fred completely off-guard by reaching to remove his mask.

Fred almost demanded him to stop, thinking how ludicrous it was that his first thought was '_I do the unmasking!'_ but instead he watched in nervous anticipation as the man yanked the mask away from his face.

Surprise flashed across Fred's face at first, but this was quickly replaced by anger at seeing the familiar figure standing in the robes in front of him.

"Farshan!" he growled angrily. "We trusted you! Did you set us up this whole time?!"

Oliver Farshan sighed audibly. "There is so much you don't understand Fred. It will become much clearer for you when he speaks to you."

"When 'who' speaks to me?! The English guy? Your esteemed and powerful leader? Stop talking in fucking riddles!" Fred demanded in frustration, struggling to come to terms with the fact Farshan was dirty after all.

There was a knock at the door and Farshan stood up to open it. An unmasked man entered, abruptly taking Farshan's place and stood in front of Fred, simply saying nothing.

Fred at once eyed the bearded man curiously. He was wearing thick black glasses and had long slicked back hair, he almost looked nerdy, an image completely at odds with how he expected the commanding sounding English man to look.

"So, you're the one behind all this?" Fred asked him apprehensively. He tensed when the man took a silent step toward him, but was further surprised when instead he reached forward and deftly cut the plastic ties.

At once, Fred jumped up from the chair, the bloodied bandages hanging loose from his still bleeding wrists. "Aren't you worried I'm going to attack you?" he asked, referencing his sudden freedom.

"No," the man calmly stated before doing something truly bizarre.

He reached up to his face and carefully peeled his entire beard off, discarding it on the floor. A shell-shocked Fred was given no time to react to this, before the man then reached up to his scalp and gently tugged on what Fred now realised was a wig. The black hair and ponytail came away completely, as the mysterious stranger went from a nerdy slicked back look into something entirely softer underneath. Finally, he removed the glasses, and was staring silently at Fred with an anguished expression on his face now. Fully 'unveiled' in front of him now, Fred nearly collapsed, needing to hold the back of the chair he had been tied to for dear life. "Oh my god," he choked out. "I don't believe it."

…..

The whole 'reveal' thing had been so much worse with Fred for Ethan. Farshan had insisted on revealing himself to Fred first, so the blond was already fuming by the time Ethan reached the room. Ethan immediately eyed the bloodied and limply bandaged wrists in alarm, shocked at how Fred looked significantly worse than from when he had left the room with Daphne about an hour ago. He had obviously pulled at the plastic restraints repeatedly and without mercy in a desperate attempt to break them and had done some serious damage to his wrists in doing so. _Typical Fred Jones. _Ethan sighed to himself.

He had said nothing as he walked in front of Fred, and he realised in his haste to get in after hearing that Fred had hurt himself, that he forgot to put his stupid mask back on. Fred was certainly looking at him curiously but didn't give any indication that he actually recognised Ethan yet.

He cut him loose, watching Fred's obvious surprise and then began the liberating process of shedding 'Adam Travers'. Fred was watching him with a startled expression now, as the beard and hair were shorn swiftly, leaving just the glasses. Once he had removed these, he knew this was the point that Fred recognised him, as the blond choked back a gasp and staggered backwards, gripping the back of the chair tightly. Fred did look truly dumbfounded initially, frozen in place, but then something approaching a smile began to cross his features. Ethan wasn't prepared in the slightest when Fred rushed forward and crushed into his arms suddenly, hugging him fiercely. Given Daphne's more violent reaction, he was completely taken aback by Fred's warm embrace.

He knew he didn't deserve it, it was the very _last thing_ he deserved, but he still hugged back with fervour for those magical few seconds. He relished in that hug, clutching the younger man tightly. However, it didn't take long for the warm and fuzzy feelings to dissolve and for the real heartache to begin for both of them.

….

Fred was undoubtedly feeling conflicted when _Ethan_ suddenly and so dramatically appeared in the room. He hadn't expected that in a million years. After his initial gut reaction to hug his friend who he believed had been shot to death over a cliff face, reality soon hit hard for Fred. He stiffened and pulled away, gazing at Ethan in confusion.

At first, his overstimulated brain thought perhaps Ethan had been a prisoner too for this whole time and Farshan had masterminded everything. But it didn't take long for the cracks to appear in that theory; why was Ethan obviously disguised for example? Nothing made any sense for poor Fred until Ethan began to speak and with that came a whole new world of hurt.

"Fred, please believe me, I never wanted it to be this way," Ethan stated pleadingly, in an _English_ accent.

"It _was _you?" Fred asked him in heartbroken disbelief. "YOU kidnapped us? And gave us that horrible ultimatum? What the fuck Ethan, have you turned?!" he asked, the horror at that thought plainly visible on his face.

"No! I haven't turned!" Ethan insisted desperately. "You have to believe me on that Fred. But...I did do all those other things," he stated sombrely, bowing his head.

"Why?! Why are you talking to me in that stupid accent?! Did you fake your death all along?!"

"No Fred, stop this. You gotta calm down," he instructed, reaching forward to hold his bloodied wrists firmly to try and stem his visibly building panic.

"How can I calm down?" Fred demanded angrily, the betrayal already hitting hard. "You just admitted to kidnapping us! Why the _hell_ would you do that?!"

"Because you wouldn't back down okay!" Ethan retorted indignantly before he could stop himself." He focused on concentrating keeping the pressure on Fred's wrists so he wouldn't have to look at his face. He wrapped the bandages properly this time to try and slow the bleeding.

"Bit late to care isn't it?" Fred replied acerbically, causing Ethan to flinch and look at him this time.

"Of course I care Fred. I care deeply about both of you."

"This sure as hell is a funny way of showing it."

" _This _is all because you wouldn't stop investigating! Not even after a bloody threat to kill you! When did you get so reckless?! You just wouldn't stop. You forced us to take this drastic action, you would have got yourselves killed otherwise."

"So kidnapping us, is doing us some kind of a favour? _That's_ how you're trying to spin this? Unbelievable," Fred commented incredulously.

"There's so much you don't understand Fred," Ethan stated, sighing dejectedly.

"No you're wrong Ethan, I don't understand ANYTHING. Nothing that's happened to us since we came to Hong Kong, makes any god damn sense at all!"

Ethan knew the exact moment everything stopped making sense for him, the moment when everything unravelled so fast; the moment he betrayed them both.

* * *

**Hong Kong, Friday evening:**

_Despite Farshan's deep reservations about him getting too close and having to expose others to the truth, Ethan travelled as Adam Travers with Farshan to join up with the surveillance team who had been tracking Fred and Daphne. They reported the two of them had not long turned up at the house of a local woman, which quick research revealed was the home of a junior doctor called Mei Ling Li._

_**Good boy** Ethan thought in relief, though he briefly wondered how on earth Fred knew this woman. Both the surveillance team and Oliver and Ethan were content to just watch the house from over the road, until Farshan's plan to deliver the USB by the surveillance team working undercover as late night couriers._

_However, they were all taken somewhat by surprise when, after a short while, a clearly agitated Fred dramatically left the house, storming out of the property alone._

"_Interesting," Farshan stated, watching the blond hurry away. "This could present us with a much stronger opportunity actually."_

_Ethan saw that Farshan was observing Fred through the binoculars like a predator stalking it's prey and went completely cold inside. "There is now a way to leave a far stronger message than just merely leaving the video on their doorstep. We could find a way to actively persuade Mr Jones himself of the correct course of action here..."_

_Ethan knew exactly what Farshan was implicitly proposing and reacted with fury. "You want us to kidnap him?! Absolutely not! How does that make us any better than the supposed 'bad guys' here?!"_

"_Ethan, you're letting your personal emotions cloud your rational judgment. This is the perfect opportunity for our problem. He wouldn't be harmed in any way. We could even wear masks. You don't have to be involved. It's for the greater good Ethan," he added at the sheer look of horror Ethan was continuing to give him._

"_He's just been shot Oliver!" Ethan whispered. "I can't take him from her even temporarily, she would be completely broken by this."_

_Farshan continued pragmatically, ignoring Ethan's concerns. "We don't even have to take him far at all, just put him in the car, show him the video, convince him they must leave for their own safety. Let him out again. Job done."_

"_Oh yes just like that. No harm done there I'm sure, how forceful will this 'convincing' have to be?" Ethan accused bitingly._

"_You must see sense Ethan!" Farshan challenged his stance with some harsh home truths. "Devon's men are clearly not going to stop chasing them! There's only so much we can do to protect them and we need to act now while we have the upper hand on their whereabouts. If they get their hands on them, they will die. You know it."_

"_There has to be another way. There's got to be another way. I don't think I can be OK with this," Ethan blindly insisted as he watched Farshan start to prepare a tranquilliser gun._

"_Your friend will be fine, remember he will actually be safer with us ironically," he said dismissively before softening a little. "Look Ethan, this is an opportunity that has presented itself that could actually prove to be very useful. Unless you know a better way right now that doesn't compromise yourself, I'm all ears."_

_Ethan never took his eye off Fred as he shuffled angrily through the unfamiliar neighbourhood. "Okay," he reluctantly sighed. "but **I ** will be the one that does this, nobody else and not with a fucking gun!"_

_Farshan looked like he wanted to argue but closed his mouth and set aside the tranq gun. "I'll circle the block and be ready however you want to do this. This is for their greater good Ethan, no matter how hard this is for you, remember that."_

_Ethan nodded and slipped out of the car and began painfully tailing his friend slowly. The young blond still looked completely furious and as a result was paying no consideration to anything around him. Ethan knew this would make what he had to do a little easier but he couldn't help worrying over what had happened in the house to allow Fred to cloud his emotions and drop his guard so dangerously._

_He reminded himself it was a good job that only they were tailing him now and not Devon's latest set of thugs for hire. He moved from tree to tree, stooping to pick up a rock, aware that Farshan's car was slowly crawling behind him as his target turned to walk into the next street._

_Fred obviously had no idea where he was going and was wandering quite aimlessly and Ethan knew he had to take advantage of his distracted state as he closed in stealthily._

_He swallowed hard as he prepared himself for the worst act of betrayal he had ever undertaken, raising the rock._

"_FRED!" he suddenly yelled and as the blond turned around in bewilderment, he cracked the rock against the back of his head. He knew exactly where to strike him from repeated practice at knocking out assailants. The blow was effective and wouldn't leave any permanent damage, but it didn't make him feel in the slightest bit better as he watched his friend collapse to the ground right in front of him, completely pole-axed. Oliver pulled up next to him and Ethan dragged the now unconscious Fred into the back seat and then jumped in too. His heart was pounding in his chest as he considered the magnitude of what he had just done. He had just attacked his friend, not only that, his friend who had saved his life._

* * *

**Hong Kong, Saturday night/ Early hours of Sunday morning:**

Ethan could hardly dare to look at Daphne's face as he guiltily explained to her exactly what happened outside Mei-Ling's house. She had been fairly calm so far but the tone of her outraged voice said it all now.

"You hit Freddy on the back of a head _with a rock?!" _She sounded utterly disgusted and Ethan felt nothing but shame again, there was no apologising for that. If they had done nothing else to them, that moment of striking him from behind would have stuck in his memory forever regardless.

"I'm sorry," he replied quietly. "I'm so sorry. It was an opportunity and we were running out of options..."

"And you intended to take him from me too?" Daphne pushed, fury written all over her face.

"Yes, but I stopped that! I said I couldn't go through with it!"

"So you just threw him out of the car then...perfect," she said bitterly.

* * *

_**Hong Kong, Friday evening:**_

_Oliver drove them swiftly out of the neighbourhood, and Ethan was able to do nothing but stare guiltily at Fred, as he lay unconscious on the back-seat._

_He could see the strapping bulging under his hoodie and Ethan was so relieved Fred had managed to source a doctor's help, he was still in a state of disbelief he had actually been shot._

_He cradled Fred's head gently on his lap and felt the sticky streaks of blood on his trousers. He swore and placed a blanket underneath his head to soak up the blood from where he had struck him._

"_What the hell have I done," he murmured to himself, looking at his friend's pale face. "What the hell was I even **thinking **agreeing to this!"_

_Oliver was driving them further away. Driving Fred further away from Daphne._

"_Stop the car!" Ethan suddenly urged loudly._

"_Adam," Farshan warned sharply, using Ethan's new identity in case Fred came to. "Think about what you're doing." He could see Ethan was freaking out now his friend was actually here._

"_I can't do this, we have to take him back!"_

"_For fuck's sake..."_

"_Just do it!" Ethan cried desperately. "We can still make this work. I'll plant the USB on him, we can write a threatening note but we have to let him go, please!"_

"_This is such a monumental fuck up," Oliver moaned, but spun the car around regardless and began driving back to where they had originally grabbed him from. They pulled over a couple of minutes from the cul-de-sac while Ethan wrote a note. Whilst he was unwilling to kidnap Fred, he knew the note needed to be sufficiently menacing into forcing them into action._

_He wrote the note hastily in block type-like capitals. _

_**STOP TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ETHAN.**_

_**THIS WAS HIS FATE.**_

**_UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO BE THIS BOY'S FATE TOO;_**

_**LEAVE CHINA IMMEDIATELY.**_

_**H**e went back and underlined the first 'this' and then passed the note to Oliver. _

"_Not bad, it needs something more though." He took the marker and added three more sentences._

_**WE LEFT YOUR BOYFRIEND ALIVE THIS TIME.**_

_**THERE WILL NOT BE A SECOND CHANCE.**_

_**LEAVE NOW.**_

"_That ought to do it, she surely won't be so stubborn to put **his **life at risk."_

"_No," Ethan agreed. "If there's one thing I know which will make her change her mind, it's Freddy's life being in danger."_

_He put his hand to Fred's cheek, he was still out cold. He then folded the note into a small plastic bag together with the USB and placed it conspicuously on Fred's jacket._

"_Okay, so I'll just drop him on the front porch and run," he said as Oliver drove them back to the cul de sac, starting to pick up speed._

"_Far too risky," Farshan chided him, and then startled him by hurtling the car at speed backwards into the cul de sac. "Get ready," he urged as the car squealed around the corner and Ethan realised he was causing a deliberate commotion now. "Okay, now!" Farshan demanded, releasing the door lock and Ethan realised exactly what Farshan intended him to do._

_**Oh god**._

"_Fucking now Adam! NOW!"_

_Ethan reached over and pulled the door handle, before dragging Fred onto his lap, trying to do it as slowly as possible, he rolled Fred out of the car onto the asphalt and slammed the door hard as Farshan accelerated away into the night._

* * *

**Hong Kong, Saturday night/ Early hours of Sunday morning:**

"This is so messed up Ethan, it doesn't feel real. When I was staring at Fred on the ground I thought he might have been dead! Can you even imagine what that was like for me! I never in my wildest _nightmares _could have imagined that it wasn't Devon responsible for that, it was you!" Daphne looked emotionally drained now as Ethan revealed more about the circumstances behind their ordeal in Hong Kong.

He knew he could keep apologising to Daphne but there was no justifying what he had done. "If it makes you feel any better, I still can't believe it came to this. We were so sure the video would do the trick. When I heard you handed the tape in to Farshan in a pure show of defiance I was at a loss what to do. But then we got word Devon's goons were making moves again and then it came down to one simple and terrifying equation. Either **we** got you, or they did."

* * *

**Hong Kong, Saturday afternoon:**

"_Tell me you're joking Oliver," Ethan begged him when he first got the phone call from Farshan, informing him of 'the problem.'_

"_I am sitting here looking at the USB right now, they gave it to me about half an hour ago."_

_Ethan was left reeling at Fred and Daphne's boldness. Despite the obvious threat, they had risked everything to hand in the incriminating evidence to the police._

"_Oh my god."_

"_I thought you said the threat to the boy was all that was needed? They didn't seem all that worried by the threat. That's not even the worst thing either."_

"_It's not?" Ethan said in despair. _

"_No. Fred told me very jovially that they were going home now."_

"_But that's great!" Ethan interrupted._

"_No, it isn't, because he lied to me. There was something about how he said it to me. If I'm completely honest I think he suspects me. Anyway, I followed them for a bit, they're not going home. If anything, I'd say they look more determined than ever."_

_Ethan swore heartily down the phone.** Oh god Daphne when did you get so reckless?! **He thought._

"_Ethan you also need to know that we've picked up chatter about a hit out on an American couple here. The description matches your sister and her boyfriend. There's different groups trying to find them. I'm sorry."_

_Ethan felt numb with fear as he processed what Oliver had told him. "Well then we need to bring them both in!" he garbled impulsively. "Oliver, you need to do whatever it takes, arrest them if you must, just get them to safety!"_

"_Ah, well unfortunately I lost them, they got in a cab and I wasn't able to get to a vehicle quickly enough."_

"_You lost them?!"_

"_Ethan, I didn't know what you would want me to do at that stage, the concrete information about the hit only came in a few minutes ago. You need to think, where could they be going? I've already deployed a team to the hotel, and to that doctor's house again."_

_Ethan fought through the panic threatening to overwhelm him to think rationally, and realised he knew exactly where they would be going. If they were so intent on investigating as Oliver assumed, then there was only one place they were likely to go now._

"_They're heading to my apartment," he stated confidently, catching Oliver by surprise._

"_Are you sure? He got shot there. Wouldn't he have some PTSD thing going on, surely they wouldn't return to the scene of the crime?"_

"_Trust me, I know my sister and how she thinks. They're going back to my apartment."_

"_Okay, I'll send Justin and Mickey over there. How do you want to play this Ethan?"_

_Ethan knew they had to play seriously now but it still pained him to give the harsh instruction. "It's an extraction now. Do whatever is necessary to bring them in but please try not to hurt them."_

"_Understood, I'll make my way over there myself to support, if you're so confident that's where they'll be."_

"_I am. Oh, and one more thing. Tell them to wear those white masks we got from that smuggling gang last week. There's still a chance that we can get through this without exposing our identities."_

_Farshan thought the request was bizarre but therefore relayed the instructions to his team anyway._

"_I'll be waiting here. Bring them to the safe house." Ethan despondently disconnected the call with Farshan. Things were spiralling so fast out of control, he had just given Oliver and his team his blessing to virtually abducting Fred and Daphne and the greatest irony of all was it truly was a mission to save them. It didn't mean that he didn't have to hate every second of it._

* * *

**Hong Kong, Saturday night/Early hours of Sunday morning:**

"So that was it huh? We became an 'extraction job. How very impersonal," Daphne commented, shooting Ethan a withering look.

"Daphne, it really was the case that if we didn't get you to safety, even safety against your own will, that they would have killed you!"

"Okay, let me level with you. I can _just _about accepting you kidnapping us to 'take us off the board' if you truly thought that was for the best, but what I'm very much struggling to understand is why this charade Ethan? Why the ridiculous masks, and why did you give Fred and I that horrendous ultimatum?" Daphne pressed, the confusion evident on her face.

"That was the final chance," Ethan whispered hollowly.

"Final chance for what?"

"For you to be safe and without ever finding out the awful truth. For you to be safely let go from that situation without ever knowing anything that has happened to me in China."

"I still don't understand," Daphne replied uneasily.

Ethan reached out to put his hand on her knee as they sat and faced each other, she didn't recoil or shake it off.

"Because you knowing _anything_ about my fight against Devon and his empire here automatically puts you at more risk. And then now, being one of the very few people that knows that I'm actually alive, it places you and Fred in untold danger. And so I desperately tried to avoid that with what I offered you earlier. I know it would have been painful for you to return home without really knowing my fate...but, it would have been so much safer for you."

Daphne stared at him, stunned again now. "I can't believe you seriously thought there was ever a chance that we would take a deal that just _writes you off!"_

"But it would have been for the best Daph...and maybe in a couple of years when it was safer, I might have been able to contact you again."

"A couple of years?!" she choked out, eyes full of tears now. "You wanted us to accept you were dead for two years, and to let Devon think he could have got away with murdering you, for a _couple of years?!"_

Seeing Daphne's distress had Ethan on the verge of tears now too.

"No. I'm not naïve enough to think that Tomas' body may never have resurfaced. Eventually Devon would have realised I hadn't died after all."

"And us?" she tearfully demanded. "We would have had to live with that pain every day...I would never have stopped trying to get justice for you, you know...never."

Ethan looked at her fondly through his own unshed tears that were threatening to spill now. "God, I did the one thing I always warn people not to do about you. 'Never underestimate Daphne Blake'. You are stronger now than even I realised. You both are. And that's the ultimate reason why I gave you that final cruel but desperate ultimatum. It wasn't just to protect you from the danger that came with the knowledge of me being alive. No, I did it for one reason only..."

"Which was?" Daphne asked softly.

"It was the final chance I had left for you _not_ to find out what shameful things I had done." Ethan tearfully revealed. "It was the final chance for you to _not_ find out how it was me that shamefully attacked Fred. To _not_ find out that it was me who brought you here tonight. The final chance to _not_ find out about how much I've fucking betrayed you both!"

Daphne reeled from his self-loathing but still tentatively asked the question.

"Why?"

"Because I knew it would change everything! Because I knew our relationship would never be the same again. So I wouldn't have to see you look at me like THAT." He was crying properly now and it was affecting his ability to speak. "God Daphne, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I wish I could have done things differently but the moment I knew you and Fred were here, it changed everything. You two were all that mattered. I wanted more than anything just to reach out to you, to warn you, to let you know that I was OK, but I couldn't...and then things just spiralled out of control. Fred got _shot_ for fuck's sake and I couldn't stop it! And then you just wouldn't leave, not even after the attacks and the threats. I panicked. Agreed to bring you here. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I'm such an idiot."

Daphne was quiet for a moment after he finished his speech and allowed him to continue to wallow in his self pity. The last hour had completely destroyed her in so many ways but she couldn't help thinking pragmatically again.

"I don't know if we're ever going to be able to heal from this Ethan, I don't," she said honestly, choosing her words carefully. "It's going to take a lot of time but...right now none of that matters. How I feel about you is insignificant. What's important right now is simply 'what happens next.'"

Ethan stopped sniffling and looked at his sister incredulously. He had just torpedoed his relationship with her with the most horrific of betrayals but here she was, already getting up and dusting herself down and getting back to business.

"Daphne..."

"Ethan, I don't want to spend any more time thinking about or talking about what you did. We have to put that behind us. We're all obviously in a massively precarious state right now. I need you to tell me what we have to do to survive this giant mess."

Ethan almost cried again at her mental strength and resilience as she got to her feet in determination.

"No, you don't get to cry again," she told him firmly. "You need to get us out of this. So I'll ask you again. What happens next?"

* * *

**Hong Kong, Saturday night/Early hours of Sunday morning: **

Fred was struggling to come to terms with everything Ethan had revealed and had suddenly gone very quiet. Unable to know what Fred was thinking was somehow worse for Ethan than when he was firing hard at him so he urged further conversation.

"I'm so sorry Fred, I know this isn't easy, let me help you. We've got time. Ask me anything. I'll tell you the truth now."

Fred thought carefully, there was so much he wanted to ask him, he figured the best place though really was the very beginning.

"Why did you really come to Hong Kong Ethan?"

Ethan blinked, he figured Fred would want to ask questions about his more recent actions but guessed he wanted to build himself a more complete picture. _The investigator in him just can never let go,_ he thought wryly and he began to set the scene for his first few months in Hong Kong and beyond.

After Ethan had spent some time spelling out to Fred what he had really been doing in Hong Kong the past couple of years and how it all began, Fred was again silent before responding with something approaching awe.

"Wow, so you really became a spy huh?"

"It's not really like being a 'spy'. More undercover really, and it's nowhere near as glamorous as the movies make out. There wasn't a steady stream of yachts or a string of hunks on my arm," he added, trying to lighten the mood. Fred though wasn't playing.

"Ethan, why the hell did you not tell us?" He asked in frustration.

Ethan snorted a little. "C'mon Fred, you know that's 'spy movie 101' You can't tell anyone about your secret identity."

Fred wasn't in the slightest bit amused. "But you told us _nothing_ Ethan! You, Stella, Will! You kept us completely in the dark that Devon was still out there! Worse still, you were all risking your lives pursuing him whilst we travelled around in blissful ignorance. Don't we deserve better?" Fred pleaded.

"You deserve EVERYTHING!" Ethan replied earnestly. "You deserve every single bit of happiness, that's why we made a pact to protect you..."

"Bullshit Ethan!" Fred replied venomously. "It wasn't your call to make. And it was clearly the wrong call! Just look at this mess. You ended up having to abduct us for Christ's sake! How fucked up is that?!"

"This was the absolute last resort. I never ever wanted this. We did everything to make you leave..."

"Including making us think you were dead!" Fred snapped. "You sent us the worst thing I've _**ever**_ had to watch in my life. We GRIEVED you Ethan! And then to find out you're alive and BEHIND all this. Betrayal doesn't even come close enough to describe how I feel right now."

"I know Fred, I know. But when you turned up at my apartment again, it was a step too far, you were dangerously close to uncovering the truth. At the same time, Devon's thugs were closing in. I had no choice. I told them to bring you in. I never wanted to hurt you."

"But you already had hadn't you? Not from your own hand I'm sure, but how I ended up in that car and in the dirt. That _**was **_your doing wasn't it?"

An enormous cloud of guilt crossed Ethan's face immediately and he looked to the floor, ashamed, an action which shook Fred further.

"You were the one that actually hit me?" He asked in a devastated small voice.

Ethan merely nodded sadly and a memory Fred had repressed, suddenly returned. "My name. You called my name didn't you? That's why I turned around."

I'm so sorry Freddy..."

"No!" Fred interrupted harshly, unable to look at him now. "No, you don't get to call me that any more."

"Fred, I'm sorry. I know nothing can compare to the pain of knowing I was the one who physically hurt you."

"No you're wrong Ethan," Fred said quietly. "That does hurt a lot but it's nothing compared to all of the pain _here,_" he said emotionally, pointing to his temple. "To the knowledge of knowing YOU of all people have hurt us in this way. That damage might well be irreparable."

"Believe me, you can't hate me any more than I hate myself right now, Fred."

"I don't _hate_ you Ethan but this hurts. A LOT. After everything we went through together, I don't actually know where we go from here. Presumably the threat to us from Devon hasn't gone away, so what do we do now? I'm assuming you have some kind of plan?"

* * *

Ethan had then carefully laid out the plan to a reticent Fred and Daphne separately. It was clear both of them placed 'surviving this nightmare' above their current feelings about Ethan so were willing to listen and act on his extraction plan. The ultimate aim was to get them to the airport as soon as possible where they would be protected by a stealth team at all times until they could safely leave Hong Kong, there was however one final surprising twist to this extraction plan, which Ethan explained to a bewildered Daphne.

"I will be speaking to Fred soon but after that, I'm sorry to ask you to do this Daphne but I need you to not speak about this, not even with Fred."

She looked immediately indignant at the suggestion. "You want us to forget this ever happened? Is that to hide your own shame?"

"No, it's not that. It's just safer this way. Nobody else in Hong Kong can know I'm alive. Not even everybody here working on this operation knows about me. Just Farshan and Justin."

"Farshan?!" Daphne's eyes widened in surprise, then disgust. "So Freddy and I were right about him!"

"I guess, but we're all on the same side here! Crazy as that may seem right now! Yet again we've both been targeted by our crazy-ass uncle. Everything I've done here has always been about protecting you, even though I perhaps haven't gone about things in the best way."

_You can say that again! _Daphne thought in dry amusement but didn't want to get in to this again. "Sure, you have my word I won't discuss this with Freddy."

Ethan nodded his head gratefully before proceeding to explain the plan. "We need to get you and Fred back to your hotel to get your passports and stuff. It shouldn't be a problem. It's the middle of the night and we'll have a team with you. And then after that, we'll get you to the airport."

"Oh, so you really are going to fly us home?"

"We have to get you out of the country as a matter of urgency. And... we're going to come with you."

That part definitely took Daphne by surprise. "Wouldn't that draw the kind of unwanted attention that you're so desperate to avoid?"

"We wouldn't be WITH you...but we're getting on the same flight."

"_We?"_

"Myself and Justin... he's the only one besides Farshan, who I've had working for us who knows the whole truth."

"Oh, so one of the guys you got to kidnap us. Got it," she said icily.

He ignored her hostility. "We did already arrange tickets for you. That wasn't a bluff. We can be back in Coolsville by tomorrow afternoon. Now, do you have any other questions before I get Fred?"

They stood and walked to the door together so Ethan assumed she was done but as they reached the door handle, she put her hand out to stop him opening it and looked straight at him.

Ethan swallowed, assuming she was going to give him both barrels but her stance was calm and her voice soft.

"Just one...why do you have a sudden rush to get back home after all this time away Ethan?"

He stared back, his expression grave and unsmiling.

"I would have thought that part is glaringly obvious Daph. While I'm "dead", we finally have something of a surprise advantage that I fully intend to make count. We're taking this fight right back to where it started. We're going to end this godforsaken nightmare once and for all. Are you with me?"

Daphne looked at his hopeful, outstretched hand as he sought her unity. She wanted the same thing and yes, she would stand with him, but there was no doubt a seismic change had occurred in their relationship. She moved past him to the door, unable to take his hand, her feelings were still charged with too much anger to do so but she spoke confidently and true.

"I'm with you."

But as Ethan watched her then march down the corridor back towards the room where Fred was, he couldn't help wonder whether she truly ever would be again.

* * *

**A/N. Okay so that's that! All the Hong Kong stuff is done and dusted now and so is the split, we're on the downward slope to the conclusion now and it all takes place in one linear timeline in Coolsville though I can't promise there won't be the odd little flashback, there's one little missing gap of time with Shaggy and Velma to fill in at some point, but generally speaking we're all reunited now. However given everything that happened in Hong Kong, it's certainly not as one big happy family ;) **

**I'd love to hear your feedback.**

**Until next time though, stay safe everyone!**


	16. A Great Big Coolsville Reunion

**A/N: After a fair few high octane chapters, the general pace does slow a little now but there's no need to be concerned! As you will see there is no let up in the drama. It's been nice but so strange to write the gang altogether again too after all this time. Please enjoy and review :)**

* * *

Once the mini reunion was over inside the airport, the five began to make their way outside together. Seeing Fred struggling with wheeling two heavy suitcases and a sports bag strapped across his good shoulder, Shaggy quickly offered to help his friend. Fred was very grateful for the offer and offloaded the bag which Shaggy hung off his shoulder, he then grabbed one of the shiny black cases too before Fred could protest. Velma had already taken on one of Daphne's purple cases and the two were walking alongside each other, slightly ahead of the boys and Scooby.

They hadn't spoken yet, but Velma sneaked a sideways glance at Daphne and saw that she was doing likewise and they smiled at each other.

"I'm so glad you're okay," they both said in perfect unison, and then laughed together.

"Gosh, I'm so glad you're back Daph. I've missed you so much. Shaggy's been great, really great but in this time of crisis, I need my girl," Velma said happily.

"I've missed you too Vel," Daph exclaimed, immediately perking up at how fondly Velma was talking about Shaggy again. It was in such stark contrast to the fears Velma had confided to her about spending time alone with him when she and Fred had left for Hong Kong. "So, he's been _great_ huh? Did you guys work things out?" she asked hopefully.

Velma cast a little look backward and saw Fred and Shaggy engaged in fairly jovial looking conversation, she smiled to herself, before addressing Daphne's question. "We came to an understanding," she said, but offered no further information than that to Daphne's immense frustration.

"An understanding?! That's it? That's all you're giving me? Girl, come on!" she pleaded.

"We chatted. A lot. And I'll tell you more eventually but just know that we're totally good again."

"I swear Velma, you're the most infuriating person on the planet," Daphne moaned, but didn't push for any further information about Velma and Shaggy's epic 'on/off' relationship for the ages.

She looked behind them now too, and saw Fred and Shaggy were falling even further behind so she paused to allow them time to catch up with them. Velma stopped too, seeing Fred visibly struggling along, Shaggy had kindly slowed his own pace so they were still walking in sync.

"Poor Fred," Velma commented in pity. "I still can't believe he actually got shot! I mean like sure, tons of bad stuff has happened to each of us over the years. You were kidnapped. I nearly drowned. Shaggy was beat up, but we both know that Freddy is already well clear at the top of the 'bad guys hurting us' league and this has got to take his personal top spot for sure."

"I was terrified," Daphne confided, recalling that horrifying moment she put her hands on Fred's shoulder and they came away stained with his blood. "We were completely on our own in an unfamiliar city, and his shoulder was just a _mess. _I really did think the worst in that moment. Luckily, Fred had an ace up his sleeve."

"Ah yes, this fabled 'old friend'. That was a pure stroke of luck." Velma said, her eyebrows raised to show her scepticism.

"Oh luck like you wouldn't believe! Wait until I tell you the full story of how he met her. It will blow your mind," Daphne winked.

"_Her? _Wow, I just kind of assumed in my head it was some action hero type guy he conveniently knew," Velma confessed.

"Nope, she's a junior doctor, so _mucho _convenient as it turned out, but their story was quite something. Turned out she was an ex of his but it's the backstory that goes with it that's the true eye opener."

"C'mon Daph you gotta spill now! You cannot just drop in juicy details like she was his ex and then stop there!" It was Velma's turn to plead with her friend. She looked behind her again and saw Shaggy, Fred and Scooby had fallen even further behind, only just passing the drop-off point. "We've _definitely_ got the time!"

"Okay," Daphne relented. "So Mei Ling, that's her name, she was an exchange student at Coolsville High..."

….

It wasn't like Shaggy was deliberately walking faster, but his longer limbs meant he took naturally bigger strides forward and even with some of his luggage relieved, Fred was struggling to keep pace with his friend. Scooby trotted right alongside Fred instead, absolutely delighted to see him again, and had began licking his hand. Fred had pulled his hand back into his sleeve but Scooby had felt the bumpy scarring adorning his wrist. He could sense the nervous tension within the boy too, he had tried to be all smiles with Shaggy and Velma, but Scooby knew there was something not quite right. He suspected his friends had been through an even bigger ordeal than what they were letting on to. Fred looked embarrassed, but reached out to stroke Scooby's head as they walked, though he feared the dog had seen what he had tried to hide. Since last night in Hong Kong, his damaged wrists had healed a little, but he knew the scarring looked awful and he had covered up with a long sleeved jacket to avoid the awkward questions. Scooby gave him a sympathetic expression and Fred held his breath when Scooby called crossly to Shaggy.

"Rhaggy! Row Down!" he urged, and Shaggy slowed his pace after noting guiltily how much Fred was struggling to keep up.

"Like, sorry man."

"It's okay, I'm just a little sore still," Fred explained his slow progress.

"I bet!" Shaggy exclaimed. "What did it feel like?" he asked curiously before he could help himself.

"Like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my shoulder," Fred replied starkly and honestly. "Because we were still running, I don't think I even really accepted that it had actually happened until we reached relative safety. I mean it hurt like a bitch the second it hit me, don't get me wrong, but I was still massively in denial. All I could concentrate on was getting Daph to safety."

"I'm so sorry that happened to you," Shaggy reflected. "But I'm so glad you're here now, we're going to need everyone. It's such a fucking mess Freddy," he revealed. "I don't even really know what we're going to be able to do."

"Yikes, that doesn't sound good at all Shaggy," Fred sighed. "I still can't believe everything that they hid from us. It disgusts me in fact."

"Uh huh," Shaggy said a little nervously, knowing he and Velma were now privy to knowing even more that had been hidden from Fred and Daphne. He had no intention of telling him, so he quickly changed the subject onto one only slightly less comfortable. "So er, Velma and I talked..." he started awkwardly.

Fred brightened instantly. "Oh yeah? And you guys are cool again?"

"Yeah, we're cool," Shaggy said, and Fred outwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god! I don't think we could have coped if we were still having to keep you two apart like in Hawaii, not when the stakes are so high now. It's important there isn't any division between us."

"Like totally," Shaggy agreed as they finally caught up to the girls who were waiting on the edge of the vast parking lot. As soon as Fred's feet hit the tarmac, he became considerably more chipper, moving forward even with a tiny little spring in his step now.

"Well, where is she?" he asked excitedly. "I can hardly wait to see her! I've missed her so much!"

Shaggy swallowed, hoping to god that Fred wasn't talking about Stella. As Fred's eyes scanned expectantly up and down the rows of vehicles, he suddenly realised exactly who the 'she' was that Fred was looking for, and breathed a hidden sigh of relief.

"Oh, you mean the van!" he stated, trying to locate exactly where he had parked it before seeing it's grey exterior. "We had to give her a bit of a make-under actually."

Fred looked genuinely aghast at this news as they all walked towards it, so Shaggy quickly soothed him. "Don't worry, she's fine," he assured him, causing the girls to giggle.

The van had been Shaggy's originally, just a beat up green van that he had lovingly restored to full functionality. In the months immediately following the whole Devon ordeal, it had gone from a mere van to it's own personality as they began to solve mysteries in Coolsville. For the first few weeks they were in operation as Mystery Incorporated, Shaggy had driven the van but once Fred became their officially adopted leader, things changed. Shaggy handed the keys of the van over to Freddy permanently, and he had quickly fallen in love with what became affectionately known by them all, as _'The Mystery Machine'._

Needing a bit of a gimmick to make themselves stand out, they decided to make their nickname for the van official and made it the stand out feature of their blossoming business. Already green, they sprayed it an even bolder shade, and one afternoon, the girls surprised the boys by adding some more features. They used blue to create a stripe and painted a further couple of panels and then emblazoned the name on the side in a bright orange. Some hippy flowers painted on both sides was the final touch. The Mystery Machine was fully born and became quite the eye-catching ride about town. And that's exactly why Shaggy and Velma had quickly made the decision to turn it incognito, deciding that riding around in it would be like one giant bullseye.

After Fred and Daphne's first phone call, they had driven to Shaggy's, abandoning Rory's car outside and set to work disguising their beloved van. They reluctantly sprayed all over the once bright colours with a very dull grey and this was how she stood now in the packed out car lot. Boring. Insignificant. Unremarkable. That's exactly how they needed it to be.

Laying eyes on the soulless, sterile looking van for the first time was actually more than a little bit heartbreaking for both Fred and Daphne. The memories they all had of that van! The adventures they had together, the dangerous chases, but also the fun and the laughter. It had become a huge part of their new lives together. Leaving 'her' behind had honestly been a complete wrench for all of them, but for Fred and Shaggy especially. Fred had even desperately tried to find a practical solution for bringing the van with them to Europe. Eventually though, logistics and cost meant it would be pretty much an impossibility. He had to reluctantly admit defeat and they locked her up safely at Shaggy's, meaning Fred hadn't seen 'her' for the best part of two years now.

He stopped wheeling his suitcase as they reached the vehicle and reached out to touch the van as Shaggy unlocked the back doors.

"Oh baby, what did they do to you?" Fred murmured sadly, fingering the dark paintwork, getting a blob on his finger when he realised it wasn't yet quite dry.

Seeing the necessarily disguised van was the first real indicator for Fred and Daphne that things had taken a massive turn for the worse in Coolsville. Although they had seen the news reports, they weren't sure they were ready to come to terms with everything back home just yet. Which was just as well, because the consequences of those last few mental hours in Hong Kong were about to catch up with them, quite literally.

While Fred, Daphne and Shaggy had been going all misty-eyed over the van, Velma had remained shrewdly alert and on guard. Even when she was at the barrier hugging Fred and Daphne, she had had a brief sense that a couple of their fellow passengers were watching them. The two of them had been very careful to keep a safe distance but nevertheless, she was quite sure they were watching them.

As the five of them had walked towards the exit together, she had kept a casual eye out for the shadowy figures but they seemed to filter off elsewhere and she temporarily forgot about them as she and Daphne caught up. When the gang approached the van however, she caught sight of the same two men again, just a few feet away, heading in their direction in fact. Unless they had coincidentally parked their car close to theirs in a car lot of over 2000 vehicles, there was only one other grim conclusion; the men were tailing them.

Clearing her throat to get their attention away from the van, she kept her voice low as she alerted everyone else to the strangers' close and troubling presence.

"Er guys, don't look now, but I'm quite sure someone has been following you two off the flight," she addressed Fred and Daphne calmly.

Shaggy and Scooby looked instantly panicked by Velma's unsettling observation, but Fred and Daphne's reaction was quite different. Instead of looking frightened, they simply looked at each other and something approaching acceptance seemed to pass between them.

Daphne opened her mouth to speak first. "So, you know how we told you on the phone, we had a lot of explaining to do? Well, we may as well start right now."

"We know that those guys have been following us," Fred revealed to Velma and Shaggy's shock. "They've actually been trying to keep a safe distance for their own safety, as well as ours," he explained.

"What?!" Velma instantly exclaimed in amazement. "So, what are they, like your bodyguards or something?"

"No, not exactly," Daphne said, with a rueful shake of her head.

"Well then who the hell are they?" Shaggy asked, his face looking fearful.

"You'll find out when we pick them up," Fred sighed, turning away from Velma's scrutiny to put the suitcases in the back of the van.

"_When we pick them up?!_" Velma squeaked, her eyes wide with disbelief now. "Are these guys dangerous? Do they have some kind of leverage over you two?!"

"It will all become clear when we pick them up," Fred stated resignedly. "We're not in any danger from them, no."

He jumped into the van, relishing being in the driver's seat again and Daphne quickly slid in next to him. "Are you guys coming?" he asked the still frozen Velma, Shaggy and Scooby. "We should get going, just in case someone is watching," he added a little nervously now.

Velma was utterly speechless but she didn't want to put themselves at further risk, so she jumped in the front alongside Daphne. An equally shaken Shaggy and Scooby got into the back. Fred drove them all away without saying another word and there was a very tense atmosphere in the van right now.

"I'm so confused Fred," Velma continued, not willing to drop it. "You say we're not in any danger from them but they obviously have some control over you to make you do this. How are we going to pick them up?"

Fred deliberately ignored Velma's first point but answered the second. "They're going to procure a car right now. They'll follow us and when it's safe, we'll pick them up."

"You mean steal a car!? You weren't even expecting Shaggy and I to be here, what would you and the shady men have done then?" Velma asked in exasperation at the guarded tone Fred was taking.

"We would have come up with another plan. Look, until they join us, it's very hard to explain Velma. Hopefully things will become clearer soon," Daphne tried to add further clarity.

"That's optimistic Daphne. I'm not sure even _I_ understand everything yet," Fred said a little tersely, and Velma silently noted the first bit of noticeable tension between Fred and Daphne. They were all dying to ask each other more questions but instead nervous apprehension and tension filled the van, with Fred and Daphne refusing to answer anything else. Fred had drove them for about ten miles or so when he was aware of a car that appeared behind them repeatedly flashing it's lights.

"That will be them," he announced calmly, and a cold feeling of dread washed over Velma as he pulled the van over.

Fred undid his seat belt and hopped out. He didn't look at all happy about having to do this and that only accelerated Velma's fears. It seemed obvious to her that he was under some form of duress and a million different scenarios were racing through Velma's head in the tense few seconds he was stood outside the van her, Daphne was quiet, but seemed reasonably calm, which gave Velma some shred of comfort at least. If Fred was in any genuine danger, Daphne wouldn't be sitting quite so calmly, but what if it wasn't _Fred_ that was at risk here?

"Daphne," she asked her nervously. "This _is_ OK isn't it? We are safe, right?"

The redhead seemed to smile a little sadly, before replying in a bland tone."You just have to trust us Velma."

Her reaction did little to reassure Velma but it was too late now and she mentally braced herself as the back doors were wrenched open. Fred was stood there flanked by the two strangers, framed in the hazy afternoon sunlight. He gestured to the two to move into the van and Velma and Shaggy at once turned to curiously study the two strangers. They both looked fairly young and this was the first thing that Velma noted. They were both tall, one had light brown hair, and was clean shaven but his face was noticeably bruised; the other had much darker hair, slicked back into a little ponytail and a full beard, he had thick dark glasses on.

Velma wasn't quite sure what she was expecting the two men who were tailing Fred and Daphne so sinisterly, (and had them both on obvious edge) to look like, but this was not it. They didn't seem at all menacing. Velma waited for Fred to introduce them but this was still not forthcoming. Luckily for her, Shaggy who had been reasonably quiet so far, voiced the exact same feelings for her.

"Okay Fred, they're here now but would somebody kindly tell Velma, Scoob and I, what the FUCK is going on please!?"

Fred urged the two men to sit down in the van before closing the doors and stepping back into the front with the girls. The two guys were sat directly opposite Shaggy, who was close to absolutely freaking out now.

Fred sighed loudly. "Okay, it's safe now," he said referencing the closed van. As he said this, the dark haired one suddenly stood up and to Velma and Shaggy's absolute incredulity, began _peeling back his hair_. This was quickly followed by him scratching at his cheek for something, before that big bushy beard suddenly disappeared too. As they saw his mouth clearer, he smiled slightly, before reaching to remove the final part of what was now clearly a disguise – the black glasses.

Velma twigged about a millisecond before Shaggy and she couldn't help her loud outburst. "Holy FUCK!"

Shaggy's expression had rapidly changed from fearful through to shock and to delight, as he watched the disguise discarded to reveal the face that had been hiding there all along in plain sight.

"Oh my god! You actually found him alive!"

Daphne and Fred had watched the 'reveal' and Velma and Shaggy's subsequent reactions with great interest. Though undoubtedly their friends were both fearful at first, there was no masking the pure joy on their faces once they realised who the mystery man was. After the initial shock, the inevitable questions were flying from Shaggy and Velma now as they reacted to Ethan's unbelievable presence.

"How?!"

"What happened?!"

"Where have you been this whole time?!"

"Why did you have to wear that ridiculous disguise?!"

Fred and Daphne sat quietly, letting their friends question Ethan. Of course they had been through it all themselves, there was no let up in the amount of questions _they_ had asked Ethan in fact. Velma scrambled over the seat to get closer to Ethan, perhaps disbelieving it really was him, leaving Daphne and Fred alone in the front. As Ethan launched into the first fanciful lie, Fred turned to Daphne quietly. "I never did get to ask how you reacted once he removed the whole disguise thing last night?" he asked.

"Oh, I didn't need him to remove anything," she asserted. "I knew it was him, even underneath all that fakery. I could see it in his eyes."

"So what did you do?"

"I punched him in the face," Daphne revealed bluntly.

"Yeah? Wow," Fred exhaled, surprised at her initial reaction. "Good."

Daphne nodded."What about you?"

"I'm totally ashamed to say that at first I hugged him," he revealed, disgusted with himself. "I was so confused. Bloody Farshan had been there at first, and then Ethan suddenly appeared. I thought he might have been held prisoner or something. I was concerned for him. You definitely had the right idea though. Proud of you sweetheart."

"I didn't even think about it. I was just so _furious_. How dare he do that to us?" she reflected angrily, but still keeping her voice low.

"I know, I still can't get my head around it," Fred said, watching Velma and Shaggy listening to Ethan spout his lies with rapt attention.

"I still don't think we're doing now is the right thing. Not letting Shaggy and Velma know what happened is a dangerous move," he whispered in warning. The decision to not reveal to Velma and Shaggy that Ethan had been behind the latter parts of their ordeal was a late one that had been taken at the safe house, and one that Fred had vocally and vehemently disagreed with. Finding Velma and Shaggy at the airport was a surprise and meant that they had to swing into Ethan's evasive plan much sooner than they thought.

"It's going to be hard enough for us to get into a position to trust Ethan again after everything that has happened," Daphne reasoned, though she had also been very unhappy with Ethan's plan. In the end she had let logic get the better of her emotions and reluctantly persuaded Fred into compliance. "Imagine if Velma and Shaggy find out what Ethan did to us? Nobody would be able to trust him and like it or not, but we _need_ him."

"I'm just saying, keeping secrets from each other like this, it's a slippery slope that's all," Fred warned, watching with disgust as Ethan had Shaggy and Velma heartily _laughing_ about something. "I can barely stomach this Daphne."

Daphne nodded in sympathy, but was slightly taken aback by Fred's fully venomous attitude toward Ethan. Make no mistake she was _hurting_ from the knowledge of everything Ethan had done to them, and it wasn't like she had suddenly forgiven him, but Fred could barely even_ look_ at him.

"I hear what you're saying Freddy, but if Ethan's not careful, he might just slip up anyway, just take a listen to that story he's weaving..."

"_So, we heard about the explosion here and my boss found out that I had been targeted too, and that's when we put our stealth recovery plan in action. We set about having a decoy rider on my motorcycle, and hoped that the men working for Devon would take the bait instead."_

"Decoy?" Velma asked. "So someone else was killed in your place?"

"Not exactly," Ethan revealed with a slight grin. "It wasn't exactly a someone but a some_thing."_

"Oh please, he's actually going with that _ridiculous_ robot rider story," Fred rolled his eyes to Daphne. "Does he really think that Shaggy's going to buy that absolute horseshit, let alone Velma?"

"I'm sure they'll both see right through it," Daphne said confidently, though was soon dismayed by their responses.

"Like no way!" Shaggy enthused. "That's so cool!"

"Ah, the Chinese are so technologically advanced, it doesn't surprise me that you were able to pull something like that off so convincingly," Velma told Ethan, to Fred's pure disbelief.

He made a face palm gesture to Daphne in despair as Velma and Shaggy seemed to readily swallow his lies without even blowing the obvious holes in a story that was so obviously threadbare.

"So, you had to go into hiding after that?" Shaggy asked.

"Yeah, essentially I was 'dead' so I had to stay dead, very few people knew the truth."

"That must have been so hard for you Ethan," Velma said wide eyed, and actually reached forward to squeeze his arm a little.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Fred announced to Daphne. "How the fuck can he sit there and lie like that? He's sure got some balls of steel."

"It was really hard Velma." Ethan replied agreeably. "Especially knowing that Fred and Daphne were out there searching for me," he paused sadly. "But I couldn't reveal to them I was alive, not until I could arrange safe passage for them and myself back out of the country."

Shaggy and Velma were sat completely drinking in whatever Ethan was saying but at least one member of Mystery Inc. wasn't buying it.

Daphne nudged Fred. "Look at Scooby," she whispered.

Scooby was sat looking very suspiciously at Ethan and Justin, his eyes narrowed towards them, causing Fred to smile again.

"Good old Scoob," he murmured in a low voice. "He can _smell_ the lies."

"They do say dogs are very perceptive," Daphne agreed. "And we know Scooby Doo is very special."

Indeed, the Great Dane continued to look very sceptically at Ethan as he continued to spin the fairy tale version of such a horrific ordeal in Hong Kong.

"Fred getting shot was the catalyst for me to get back involved despite my boss not wanting me to. I couldn't leave them at risk," he suddenly stated earnestly.

It took all of Fred's efforts not to laugh heartily at that, but Ethan was quite the actor, he didn't even flinch at the sheer irony of it. _All those years undercover must have paid off,_ Fred thought to himself bitterly.

"Didn't Fred get attacked after that as well? Ended up in someone's car? They were definitely getting close," Velma said.

It was only a momentary glimmer but it wasn't missed by Fred as Ethan did have the grace to look guilty at that.

"Ah yeah, he did," Ethan admitted, making eye contact with Fred who he knew was watching him closely. "I know he told you that he was let go but we realised after, that what had happened was he fell from the car because he actually escaped. He was delirious that's all, and wasn't remembering correctly as the fall after knocked him unconscious."

He stared at Fred, daring him to disagree. It was an opportunity for Fred to call out Ethan on a lie but instead after a warning glance from Daphne, he bit down hard and declared thickly, "Yes that's right, I must have got the door open and rolled out. It was a lucky escape."

He was disgusted in himself for backing up Ethan's shameful lies, but he knew the messy fallout from Velma and Shaggy finding out about Ethan's betrayal would be time wasted, and with probable consequences that they could all ill afford. There were bigger things at stakes here. They could figure out all that damage _after _they took down Devon as far as he was concerned.

Ethan nodded gratefully toward Fred before concluding the heavily embellished tale. "That was the final straw, and I actively began to secure their safe passage from China while still keeping up the story that I was dead. Hence this disguise. Ethan Dillon died in China. I'm Adam Travers now. When the time was right, I was able to reveal myself to Fred and Daphne, and get us all out of there safely."

"Oh wow," Velma exclaimed, looking towards Fred and Daphne now. "That must have been an incredible feeling for you Daph! Finding out he was still alive against all the odds! You must have been so happy!"

"I was thrilled," Daphne managed to choke out. "It was such a shock."

"I bet it was!" Shaggy chimed in. "I bet you guys just threw your arms right around him! And returning as such a hero too to get you out of that scary situation. Incredible."

"Oh, it was certainly that," Fred agreed stiffly. "The whole thing was just too good to be true," he added pointedly, but Velma and Shaggy were too full of the warm and fuzzies to notice.

"Well, this is great!" Velma suddenly exclaimed. "We're all back together again and we have an incredible advantage over Devon now. Things are really looking up!" she announced far too optimistically. Daphne, Fred and even Ethan did not share her optimism and enthusiasm though.

Velma and Shaggy then revealed about Rory Dewhurst's support and the army base but tellingly, nothing about Stella or Will. Nevertheless, the news of the young cop's safety was the first genuine bit of good news for Daphne and Fred, as Velma then began to direct Fred to the secret bunker.

"Rory! Wow, that's a pleasant blast from the past," Daphne marvelled. "We owe him so much, I can't wait to see him again. I'm so glad he's safe."

"Did you know he was married with a kid now?" Velma asked, and Daphne and Fred both shook their heads. "So much has changed since we were all last here," she added regretfully.

"Shaggy, did they find out anything about Stella and Will?" Ethan asked.

"No, not yet," Shaggy stated calmly. "We're still waiting to hear."

He saw how disappointing this statement was to Fred, Daphne and Ethan so added a caveat to it. "But no news is good news, right?"

"I guess," Daphne shrugged with a half smile but it was obvious she didn't subscribe to this flawed metaphor.

For all the time that Ethan was describing his dramatic re-emergence, his fellow companion from Hong Kong had sat very quietly without even an introduction nor barely reacting. He had a quiet air about himself, listening to what was going on around him without getting involved. While Shaggy continued to chat with Ethan, and occasionally shouting to Fred and Daphne in the front, Velma found herself secretly studying the mysterious stranger. He looked to be a little older than the gang, though maybe not quite as old as Ethan. He had light brown hair and was wearing a business suit. Velma wondered if this was part of his incognito disguise or a real representation of the man's life. She had tried not to stare at them, but the bruises on his face were also particularly hard to ignore, especially the fat lip he was sporting. She couldn't help wondering how he got them. He raised his eyebrows, making firm contact with her and Velma reddened. _Busted!_ He smiled in a friendly manner back at her, but Velma still felt embarrassed to be caught virtually gawping at the guy.

"Ethan!" she said flustered, snatching his attention away from Shaggy. "You never did er, introduce your friend?"

"Oh! Of course! Sorry gang, this is Justin."

Daphne even turned around with interest, from the front seat, curious to see how Ethan was going to address Justin. She knew Fred would be listening carefully as he drove too. She realised that they too knew very little about Justin, beyond the fact he had helped Ethan in his schemes. He was also of course, sporting a heck of a shiner on his left cheek and bruising on his lip, and Daphne knew he was the one she had kneed in the face as he tried to tie her to the chair back in that house in Hong Kong. But Ethan had revealed very little to them about Justin so far other than 'he knew the full truth', and Daphne was certainly intrigued. Why had _he_ made the trip to Coolsville and not Mr. Farshan for example?

She had briefly wondered if he and Ethan were closer than colleagues but so far, she hadn't got that vibe at all from them. She also further doubted that could be the reason, as if they were intimately close, he would be the last person he would actively bring with him to the firing line like this. The question remained then, who was he? She faced the back of the van, resting her arm on the back of the seat, intrigued what Ethan and Justin were going to say.

"Hey," Justin waved to Shaggy, Velma and Scooby, smiling.

"Justin is someone I've worked closely with in Hong Kong over the past two years," Ethan explained. "He's fully invested in the mission to bring down Devon and has joined me on some dangerous assignments."

_But why is he so invested? _Daphne mused. _Who is he and where has he come from?_

Ethan continued to contextualise Justin. "While I was working undercover from primarily a journalistic angle, at least initially, Justin's is from law enforcement."

"So he's a cop?" Velma asked.

_Interesting, very interesting, _Daphne thought.

"Yeah, and he's going to be a very important ally to have right now. Justin has helped me enormously in Hong Kong, and he's ready for the battle here..."

"Looks like you've already been in something of a battle, Justin," Shaggy commented innocently and Daphne had to suppress a giggle.

"Ha," Justin laughed nervously. "Nobody said this job would be easy," he stated before going for false bravado. "You should see the other guy."

_Girl! _Daphne smirked behind her hand, and Fred started to enter into something of a coughing fit as he desperately tried not to burst out laughing too.

"You okay there Fred?" Shaggy called across in concern as Fred choked on the laugh he was suppressing hard.

Thankfully, it passed quickly and Fred was able to reassure everyone he was OK but admitted he had become lost in trying to follow Velma's shouted directions to find this secret bunker. Velma scrambled back over the seat to sit right by Fred and properly guide him, and Daphne found herself by the window, watching as Coolsville rapidly approached.

The air was still and birds still chirped happily in the fields, belaying a certain calmness. It was a pleasant and sunny day, it certainly didn't feel like the beginnings of the 'apocalypse' as Velma had dubbed it, not until they passed through the district boundary line, and then that comparison became more apt. As Fred drove the van into Coolsville, Daphne immediately felt a tremor of sadness as she glanced out of the window. It was the middle of the afternoon and the town was deserted. There was barely a person to be found on the streets, and some people had started to board up their properties like those in hurricane hit states frequently had to do, but this was no natural disaster, this was entirely a man made crisis. As they drove near the main high street, it revealed looting had taken place in many establishments, with smashed window after smashed window.

"Oh god," Daphne whispered sadly as she took in the devastation. Those places that weren't already vandalised were boarded up with 'CLOSED' spray painted on hastily put up signs. The playground swings blew desolately empty and the were chained up tight. Daphne felt Velma place a comforting hand on her arm.

"Nothing prepares you for it, does it," Velma said mournfully and Daphne shook her head in bewilderment.

"I can't believe it, Vel," she said. "This is... just horrible!"

Besides Velma, Fred drove on grimly, also shocked by what he was witnessing but not reacting audibly. The sights of the deserted and ransacked streets were bad enough, but it then seemed Velma's route was taking them on an especially poignant tour of 'their Coolsville greatest hits'.

They soon had passed the ice cream factory where they had trapped the ice cream ghosts, the museum where the Black Knight had come to life, and the theatre haunted by the life size puppets; all were firmly closed up. They drove past the grounds where the vast carnival and Big Top once stood proud and where they had tangled with a terrifying clown. The final place they passed was the eerie sight of the now closed down Coolsville High. Once school to Shaggy, Velma and Fred, the campus now stood desolate and abandoned. Iron wrought gates were chained up hard to keep intruders out, and a sign was placed on the outside in red letters. "CLOSED BY THE ORDER OF THE GOVERNMENT. KEEP OUT. TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED."

It had obviously been left for some time as the grassier areas were completely overgrown and litter blew across the courtyard. Fred couldn't take his eyes off the school, the thought of the school closing down permanently would have been such a joyous one to his younger and more rebellious self, but now the desperate sight just filled him with sadness and anger. It was the starkest image of how far the town had fallen in such a short amount of time.

"I really can't believe they let it get to this stage and still said nothing," he said resentfully, as they began to drive further out of the town centre towards where the military base was supposedly located.

Ethan kept quiet, he knew exactly what had happened and hadn't told the gang either, preferring to keep them in the dark to keep them safe.

Under Velma's careful guidance, Fred was able to drive them into the base, where the van was immediately stopped at the entrance by a very hacked off looking official. Velma immediately leaned over Fred to deal with the angry man.

He caught sight of the bespectacled brunette last seen as a passenger hurtling through and damaging the barrier. He narrowed his eyes, immediately lifting a walkie-talkie to his lips. "Someone get a message to Dewhurst; they're back." His eyes travelled past Velma to see the two new guys in the back, alongside the vandal and his mutt, not to mention the redhead, and the blond driving the heap of the junk. His eyes rolled skywards as he added disdainfully, "with guests."

They were permitted to drive into the grounds, but were forced to remain in the van until Rory could clear them further. Rory arrived fairly speedily and they were allowed to depart the van. Despite his obvious anger with Velma and Shaggy for the stunt they had pulled when they fled the compound, Rory looked considerably cheered the moment he saw Fred and Daphne exiting the front of the van with Velma.

"Freddy! Daphne!" he exclaimed happily, moving to hug them both together. "I'm so pleased to see you guys are safe!"

He unknowingly clapped one arm hard on Fred's bad shoulder and Fred couldn't help but react to the unbearable pain, wincing from the excruciating touch.

"Long story," he squeaked at Rory's confusion from the gesture. Rory had no time to react Fred's discomfort before he was surprised again when the back doors opened. Shaggy was careful not to make deliberate eye contact with Rory, fearing the worst from the cop for stealing his car, but Rory barely paid any attention to Shaggy and Scooby as two other men also emerged from the back. Ethan had resumed his disguise now, not knowing who could be trusted despite Velma's assurances it was 'safe.'

"Who are these two?" Rory demanded. "What's going on?"

"Could we get somewhere more private," Velma implored nervously. "There's a lot to fill you in on."

"Sure," Rory flippantly agreed, folding his arms and eyeing Shaggy now. "Where's my car, Shag?"

Shaggy smiled equally as nervously. "Well, it's absolutely fine, but we left it at my place while we got the van."

"Uh huh," Rory nodded curtly. "So long as it's all in one piece?"

"Absolutely," Shaggy nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, so the CCTV I saw of it flying into the barrier did absolutely no damage?" Rory asked sarcastically, causing Shaggy to gulp.

"Just minor paintwork scrapes," Velma stepped in reassuringly. "We're really sorry about that whole thing, we really needed to get to the van."

"You could have just asked, not making a break for it at the crack of dawn," Rory replied. "Don't you trust me?"

Truth be told, Velma _couldn't _hand on her heart say that she did completely trust Rory yet. It was her private opinion that it was awfully convenient how he just showed up like that on the street in the first place. But, in terms of allies, they were starved of options so she hoped he was a solid bet.

"Of course we do Rory," she said with a smile. "What Shaggy and I did was rash and we're sorry."

The apology seemed to appease Rory, though in truth he wasn't in the slightest bit cross because they had taken his car without asking, rather it was the worry them leaving alone had left him with; he was terrified for their safety. He ushered the group away from the van and began walking towards a small isolated building. He opened the door and everyone filed in behind him. He shut the door firmly behind him, and then walked in front of the large group who all stood around awkwardly.

"So," he began. "Would someone like to tell me what's going on with you guys?" He gestured towards Fred who had his arm wrapped around Daphne. "Velma mentioned something about you going to Hong Kong to find out what happened to Ethan or something?"

"That's right," Fred said, but offered no further information to Rory's consternation.

"And? Did you get some answers?"

"They sure did," the pony-tailed stranger suddenly spoke, and went through the same process he had previously done of shedding his disguise.

Rory wasn't exactly overwhelmed with joy, Ethan's disguised presence just presented more troubling questions.

"Ethan?" he said puzzled. "Why the heck did I need to go through all that? Why are you in disguise?"

"Because Ethan is _dead," _Daphne declared bluntly, to Rory's obvious bewilderment. "At the same time the attack happened here in Coolsville, a second attack was launched to kill Ethan in Hong Kong too. And Devon believes he was successful. It's imperative that this belief continues so no-one can know he is really alive. Can you keep that secret for us Rory?"

Rory seemed stunned by Daphne's revelation, but had no qualms about what she was asking. "Of course, it doesn't make much sense to me, but of course I will."

"Oh believe me, nothing makes much sense to me either," Fred said slightly bitterly, catching Velma's attention with his tone.

"Great," Daphne said without any enthusiasm. "From now on, to anyone else this is Adam Travers, and his friend Danny Walters, they are both English computer developers."

"Okaaay," Rory said slowly, clearly still very dubious about the whole situation. "And how can you pull that off convincingly?" he asked Ethan.

"Well, I've had quite a lot of practice, Rory," he said in his perfect English accent while reacquiring the necessary bits of his disguise. "I know this is weird, and not at all ideal, but Daphne's right, it's an advantage that we must keep hold of."

"I guess you're right," Rory sighed, obviously unable to make much sense of what was going on but keen to move on. "So, I guess you've all seen the damage to the town now?" he asked, getting a flurry of nodding heads and angry expressions. He continued, "this base is about as safe as it gets, I wouldn't recommend going back to your homes, Devon would be sure to target you, so you can all stay here."

They all mumbled thanks and Rory was aware of the tense atmosphere in the room. _Clearly_ far more had gone on between them then what they were letting on to, he ploughed on with his planned sleeping arrangements.

"Girls, you can bunk together, and Shaggy and Scooby already have a room together. There's quite a large one left that sleeps three so that will do you gents," he said, indicating Fred, Ethan and Justin.

"NO!" Fred said vehemently, surprising everyone in the room with the ferocity of his disapproval. Seeing everyone stare, Fred changed tact and elaborated with a softer tone. "No, it's okay, they should share together, less suspicion. I can bunk with Shag and Scoob. Like old times."

Rory nodded, sleeping arrangements sorted. "So, I guess you're all ready now. You can't all go in at once, but I'll let you go in in pairs. There's been no change," he added sadly towards Velma and Shaggy who now looked very uncomfortable. Daphne, Fred and Ethan just looked very confused.

"Sorry Rory, ready for 'what'? Daphne asked in apprehension.

Rory looked back to Velma and Shaggy who were unable to even make eye contact now. He furrowed his brow. "Well, for the reason they brought you all here of course?"

Daphne, Fred and Ethan were still none the wiser and Rory turned directly to Velma. "You didn't tell them?" he asked her in astonishment.

"Tell us what?!" Fred interjected impatiently. "What's going on?"

Rory looked at Fred's pensive expression, matched by the anxious looks Daphne and Ethan were sporting. He didn't know why Velma and Shaggy hadn't told them, but he had no intention of concealing anything more. He told them straight.

"Stella's here. She's in a coma."


	17. Gang War

**A/N: Apologies for the longer gap between chapters, I will try and publish when I can, but I'm hoping to conclude this summer so updates will be as regular as possible. Please enjoy!**

* * *

The news of Stella's fate was certainly a bombshell of an announcement for Fred, Daphne and Ethan.

"What?!" Daphne spluttered, looking immediately stunned.

"Well, where is she?" Ethan demanded, recovering quickly. "And where the hell is Detective Barnum in that case?!"

Fred had cast an immensely disapproving look straight towards Shaggy and Velma's direction, immediately on hearing the jolting news, but chimed in with Ethan's level of questioning.

"Yes, what about Will?"

As soon as the boys mentioned Will, Shaggy and Velma's expressions altered from the guilty expressions of carrying the secret of Stella's whereabouts, to the grief they once again were overwhelmed with, with their knowledge of Detective Barnum's fate too. Rory also looked stricken and he tried to find the words to reply, but one look at Velma in particular was a dead giveaway without anyone needing to say anything.

Grief was already beginning to overwhelm each of Daphne, Fred and Ethan, long before Rory hollowly finally confirmed that Will 'didn't make it.' Daphne dissolved into tears with Fred once again having to provide her some comfort while he contemplated his own personal grief, as she sobbed in his arms. Ethan too looked visibly distressed for a moment but tried to swallow his pain to get the information he needed.

"And, that's for definite, is it? I heard that ah, all the bodies hadn't been recovered yet," he said, his statement carrying an implicit question he didn't want to actually voice.

"That's right. We're as certain as we can be without actually having 'proof', but Detective Barnum's team were dispatched to the rear of the warehouse. The bomb was detonated around 5 minutes after they entered. It has since been established the bomb was located at the rear. It is mostly Detective Barnum's team who are missing or otherwise," Rory stated sadly.

Although it was something they had all contemplated since the moment they had received the horrifying news of the explosion, the confirmation of Will's death was an absolute gut punch for Fred and Daphne.

"But what about his daughter?" Daphne asked shakily. "How will someone explain to Olivia that her daddy is dead?"

Everybody in the room looked stricken at the stark realisation that a young father had been lost.

"Don't even think that way, babe," Fred pleaded with her. "It's only going to make this hurt even more."

"Fred, Daphne," Velma started, emotion heavy in her voice. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you...until now...I didn't know how to break it to you, and I certainly didn't want to tell you over the phone! I thought it would be best that..."

"Forget it," Fred snapped, cutting her off abruptly. "Just another little white lie, right?" he added somewhat tauntingly.

"Fred!" Daphne admonished, appalled at his tone. "Now is NOT the time for all that! Have some respect!"

"You're right Daph," Fred agreed with her apologetically, although the look he still shot Velma and Shaggy, suggested that this was a conversation that was only on temporary hold. Ethan, meanwhile had been knocked for six by the news. He had held onto a desperate hope throughout that somehow, Will and Stella had managed to survive. Guilt had privately gnawed away at him ever since he first heard the news of the explosion in the taxi cab back in Hong Kong a few days ago. It was _his_ information that had sent them into that warehouse for the raid. It seemed obvious now that it had been planted, but this knowledge did little to appease his personal burden of guilt. Why hadn't he stopped to think about the information in a calm and rational way? He knew Stella had made the same 'mistake' and knew why. They had all been too clouded by their desire to end this, the excitement that _he_ had made a mistake and they finally had an opportunity to close in. The intel had seemed good, solid. They had no reason to doubt the source, no reason to assume it was the deadliest of ambushes. Make no mistake, he was _crushed_ by Will's death, but the only thing fuelling him now was a deep rooted anger and overall burning desire to finally put this right.

"Can I see her?" he requested abruptly, catching Rory and the gang off-guard.

"Uh, like I said, she's in a coma, and the temporary chief of police is limiting visitors...but, I can get you in for a few minutes. You too, if you like?" Rory said, turning his gaze enquiringly towards Daphne and Fred.

"Yes," Daphne nodded immediately. "Please, I'd appreciate that Rory."

"Fred?"

"Uh, sure," he answered but sounded really uncertain if that's what he wanted at all.

"Okay," Rory said. "Can you guys wait in here for us? I don't think it's a good idea for you to be wandering around the base without me. You two aren't very popular right now," he added, side eyeing Shaggy and Velma.

"Zoinks," Shaggy said in embarrassment as Rory once again reminded him of their dramatic escapade fleeing the compound. "Sure Rory, we'll wait here for you to come back."

Fred, Daphne, and a once again disguised Ethan, left with Rory, leaving the brooding Justin with Shaggy, Velma and Scooby. Rory was walking a little way ahead of the others, and Fred deliberately waited until he was sure he was fully out of earshot before turning to Ethan. "That was a smooth move back there, painting yourself as the hero to Shaggy and Velma, very chivalrous of you," he noted sarcastically.

"Of course I don't really think that Fred," Ethan bit back with a sigh. "The narrative serves a purpose that's all."

"Sure, _the narrative,_" Fred said sardonically. "Sure thing, Ethan."

"Quit it!" Daphne whispered furiously at the pair. "This pissing contest helps no-one."

Unable to hear exactly what was said, nevertheless Rory had heard the squabbling from the previously close trio. "Are you guys OK?" he said, stopping and raising an eyebrow in their direction. He had already picked up on the tension between Fred and Ethan, and was curious. From what he remembered, the two of them were particularly good friends.

"It's fine," Fred brushed off in a manner that said it was anything but. Ethan merely shook his head and stalked ahead of Fred and Daphne.

Rory looked to Daphne for some answers, but the redhead shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "They have some things to work out," she admitted.

Rory nodded. "Sure, just don't let it spill out in front of Stella. When she wakes up again, the last thing she'll need to see is you guys falling out in front of her."

Daphne immediately noted the somewhat forced positive assertion. "Rory, she is definitely going to wake up isn't she?"

"Of course," the young cop said with false brightness. "I'm sure she'll be just fine."

They all stopped walking as they approached a door. After speaking to the man stationed outside, Rory opened the door for them and they walked through into the make-shift hospital ward, the one that he had previously shown Velma, Shaggy and Scooby. They were quiet as they walked through but all three of them looked around sorrowfully. There were several beds taken up with injured team members. Some were asleep, some were tended to by doctors and nurses. Some were completely unresponsive. Ethan tried not to let it get to him but was emotionally destroyed by the sight of the devastation.

"These all entered the warehouse?" he asked Rory in a low whisper.

"Most of these are from _Stella's_ tactical unit," Rory replied pointedly. Ethan nodded grimly, they knew that meant these were the ones that came off the 'best'. Fred held Daphne's hand as Rory guided them through the ward; she was unable to take her eyes off the unfortunate souls in the beds. She caught the eye of one of the men, he was in his thirties, and had his right leg elevated in plaster. His arms and face were covered in shrapnel wounds and as she took a closer look, she could see part of the top of his ear was missing. She looked away guiltily when he caught her staring, and he frowned at first before taking note of whose hand she was holding. Seeing the distinctive looking pair together, jolted his memory and she knew he had recognised them.

"You shouldn't be here," he murmured weakly in their direction, and Fred immediately tried to hurry her along, but Daphne had already stopped walking and gave the man her full attention. "He's not going to stop!" he said louder and more urgently this time.

"C'mon Daph," Fred tugged her hand, knowing nothing good could come from this situation but she stubbornly stood her ground.

"He won't stop until YOU are dead!" the man suddenly warned gravely, pointing straight towards Daphne.

"Okay, that's enough," Fred said, and dragged her away more forcefully now.

"I'm sorry," Daphne called back, completely shaken by the man's words. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Fred knew why she was apologising and gritted his teeth, he was once again reminded of the conversation in Mei Ling's garden when she had revealed that she allowed Devon to walk, to save himself. He still vehemently disagreed with her position then, but this wasn't the time or place to reflect on that. She was still shaking hard when Rory led them outside the room where Stella was.

"I'm okay," she tried to assure the three of them who were all looking at her with deep concern. Ethan reached over and squeezed her shoulder warmly, and it took everything within Fred not to react. Instead, he forced himself to concentrate on Rory as he began to explain Stella's condition to them.

"She has quite significant burns and had to have a skin graft on her right leg when she was admitted. Part of her hand wasn't able to be saved, and there have been moments where she has been conscious and lucid. Sadly, yesterday she suffered a relapse and started to seize severely. The doctors had to induce a medical coma."

Ethan's eyes glazed over as Rory tried to prepare them for the sight of the fierce detective who had befriended them all, bravely leading the fight against the worst threat Coolsville had ever faced. As he quietly opened the door and they finally set eyes upon her still form, even the careful detailing from Rory had not adequately prepared them, not even close.

Fred held Daphne by the shoulders, the pair of them unwilling to come any closer than the few feet they stood away together silently. Ethan's face was already streaked by angry tears by the time he reached her bedside. He reached over and took the detective's good hand, cradling it in his, as tears continued to fall down his cheeks. He stroked her fingers as he looked at her still face, and with his other hand, he reached to brush her dark hair from her forehead. He kissed the very tip of her head, completely broken by the sight of his friend, and was fiercely overcome with emotion.

"I'll get him," he angrily promised her, still cradling her limp hand. "I'll get him, I'll finish what you started. He won't get away with this. You have my word." He jumped up then, and stalked quickly past a stunned Fred and Daphne and back out of the room.

Fred was slowly rubbing his thumbs up and down Daphne's shoulders as she stood rigidly, staring at Stella. For his part, he could barely stand to look at the Detective, the physical evidence of Devon's brutal victory so heartbreakingly laid bare. He was instead choked by a cold and ominous feeling of fear, but he couldn't deny nor ignore the anger that was flowing through his veins too.

Daphne had not said a word but hadn't once taken her eyes off Stella, not even when Ethan upped and left the room suddenly. She found herself mentally documenting every injury, every outrage. Like Ethan and Fred, it left her with a wild determination to put things right.

"I've seen enough," she announced to Fred calmly, and he released her shoulders, allowing her to walk away, and she too left the room, leaving just Fred alone with Stella. His instinct was to follow Daphne out of the door, but found himself walking to her bedside. He knelt uncomfortably on the floor and allowed his feelings to overspill.

"Why couldn't you have just told us the truth?" he quietly urged her. "Why didn't you just say something? This has spiralled into such a giant mess now and I don't know what to do. Why couldn't you and Will have just been _honest_ with us?"

He knew she couldn't reply but just being able to express his emotions helped enormously. "We could have helped, maybe we could even have stopped this together. Instead, you've got us lying to each other, and I don't know if things will ever be the same again! Why did you do it Stella?"

He very awkwardly got back to his feet again and took one last look at Stella before shaking his head in dismay and walking away. He rejoined Daphne and the others outside Stella's room.

"Rough, isn't it?" Rory said sympathetically when he saw how affected Fred looked by seeing her.

Fred merely nodded. "It really brings it home how awful everything is," Daphne reflected as they walked back through the rest of the makeshift wards and back outside to the compound.

Fred and Ethan were both silent until they were reunited with Shaggy, Velma and Justin. Fred looked quietly furious, putting Daphne on edge. Reading the mood of the room, Rory decided to 'leave them all to it', and the nervous energy continued for a few more agonising seconds until Fred finally spoke.

"I think we need a team meeting," he said flatly, he didn't frame it as a mere request.

Ethan was under no illusions who Fred meant when he referenced the 'team' but desperately tried to keep up appearances for Shaggy and Velma that he was 'cool' with this.

"Sure bro, catch you guys later!" Ethan waved jovially as he and Justin left the little room together. The door banged shut behind him, setting up an ominous atmosphere for the five friends.

Shaggy was sat on the floor, Scooby at his feet. Neither they nor Velma had seemed to be engaged in much of anything for the twenty minutes or so that Fred and Daphne had been gone. Fred was like a simmering bottle of pop just ready to go off and both Daphne and Velma did their best to try and pacify what they knew was sure to spiral into a very unpleasant 'team meeting.' Clutching his arm, and desperately trying to soothe him, Daphne urged him quietly first. "Just let them explain Fred," but she feared he was already too far gone for rational explanation.

Velma stepped forward, her hands stretched outwards, desperately trying to placate him. "I'm so sorry guys! We didn't know what to do!"

Daphne nodded sympathetically at her friend but Fred flatly refused to listen.

"I can't believe you allowed us to find out like that!" he finally exploded. "We _asked _you about Stella and Will and you said nothing. You said nothing at the airport, nothing on the way here. We had to find out from Rory! How broken have we all become that _you_ couldn't tell us?!"

Velma cleared her throat, visibly upset but determined to stand her ground. "What choice did we have Fred? Would you _really_ have wanted to find out that Will was dead and Stella was in a coma _over the phone?!" _she challenged, eyeing him steadily.

"It would have been preferable, yes!" Fred spat out. "Preferable to the lies you told us."

"But why?" Velma hit back. "Why would it have been preferable? What could you and Daphne possibly have done, when you were thousands of miles away? How would it have helped?"

"It would have helped for you to be honest," Daphne said quietly to Velma's dismay as she softly expressed her own disappointment. "I'm sorry Velma, but Freddy's right, it did hurt to find out like that."

Predictably with Daphne backing up Fred, Shaggy waded in to back up Velma, the division starkly obvious in the distance between the two factions of _Mystery Inc. _On one side, Shaggy Velma and Scooby, on the other, Freddy and Daphne.

"Well, it's not like you two have been entirely honest with us, is it?" Shaggy accused, a bitterness all too evident in his tone of voice.

Fred seemed to be ready for the inevitable confrontation and hit back quickly. "Oh, here we go! I wondered how long it would take!"

"Why not?" Velma said. "He's right isn't he? What could possibly have been so important that you didn't bother to check in with us for _days?_ Do you have any idea how worried Shaggy and I were in that time?!"

"Velma, it wasn't deliberate! We told you that!" Daphne defended. "As you now well know, Hong Kong was fucking batshit crazy! We barely had time to breathe."

"No time for a quick phone call? An email? For all we had known, you might not even have made it there at all!"

"I'm sorry. I can't apologise enough for that. It was wrong of us," Daphne admitted and Velma nodded, seeming to accept her apology for the lack of contact.

Shaggy wasn't letting Daphne and Fred off that easily however.

"What about the flat out lie that you were coming home?" He raised. "_Did_ you have any intention of coming home at that point?"

"No," Fred reflected honestly. "No, we were never coming home that day," he finally admitted.

"I knew it," Shaggy replied, getting off the floor now. "So why did you do it? What were you doing instead?"

Daphne eyed Fred, making a silent plea as she could see him thinking about spilling the truth about Ethan. _Don't do it Fred!_

Fred clenched his jaw hard. "We were following a new lead. It's what eventually led to Ethan. But it was dangerous and we know you wouldn't have approved."

"So I was right!" Velma said a little triumphantly. "You were willing to put yourself right back in harm's way. Even after you had been _shot_. I might have known."

"You weren't there!" Fred hit back defensively. "You couldn't even begin to understand how _complex_ the situation we were in was. So yeah, we said what you wanted to hear. We told you we were coming home. Even though we had no intention of doing so."

"I don't get you Fred, you're like a freaking misery magnet. Do you actually have a death wish?" Velma asked him hotly. "Sometimes I do wonder."

Fred was undoubtedly stung by her fierce criticism but tried not to let it show. "I can't explain it. We were so close. I knew Daphne could never have forgiven me if we just gave up then. And it worked, we got him back! That's the important thing surely!"

"That may be so, but something just doesn't ring true about all this. There's something very fishy. What aren't you telling us?" Velma asked with great scrutiny.

Daphne looked strickenly guilty but Fred shook his head firmly. "You know everything about what happened now. That's a promise."

He regretted the word as soon as it left his lips but it was too late now. Both factions were in fact still carrying a lot of information they were unwilling to give up to each other.

Velma and Shaggy had found out that the mystery at Oakland was staged, not by Casey Costello as they had been led to believe but was in fact fully orchestrated by Devon Blake. They had since been to visit Casey Costello, a man who had tormented Fred, which led to Fred's mental breakdown. Furthermore, they had discovered there had been another attempt on Fred's life during his rehab stint.

While this knowledge would undoubtedly hurt Fred and Daphne; and Velma and Shaggy continued to keep it under wraps, it was the ticking time bomb that was Ethan's treacherous role in Hong Kong which threatened to do the real damage. The fact that Fred and Daphne had covered it up was what they knew could tear the gang apart.

Daphne looked on him in disbelief that Fred had actually _promised _their friends nothing else had happened, but it had helped to ease the tension in the room somewhat. Both Shaggy and Velma seemed satisfied by Fred's declaration. No matter what, since they became _Mystery Inc,_ they had always trusted each other and a promise was a promise, if Fred said nothing else had happened, they had to believe him. Almost as if it was a symbolic disapproval of his grand lie, Fred's wrist suddenly itched enormously in his sleeve and he tried to subtly scratch the angry scar that was giving him such discomfort.

Velma was only interested in making peace. "Look you guys, we've all had an absolutely fraught week. We're _all_ hurting from this. We've lost so much. And we're in a pretty messed up situation. The very_ last_ thing we need to be, is to be at each other's throats. I will hold my hands up and say I have made some bad decisions this week. I'm quite sure we can all say that. But we _need_ each other. If we're not together on this, we might as well just give up now. Does anyone feel like giving up and letting Devon win?"

It was a powerful speech that had the desired effect.

"I'm not giving up," Daphne asserted firmly. "And I'd like to put on record to you guys, I'm sorry for our lack of contact in Hong Kong."

She looked imploringly towards Fred, who didn't need the encouragement.

"There's absolutely no way _I'm_ giving up," he stormed. "And I too am sorry."

Shaggy threw his hat into the ring with some determination. "I won't give up. I'm sorry we didn't tell you the truth."

Scooby looked around at his friends, pleased as they all let go of their anger with each other, and reached a quiet level of resolution.

"Roup Rug?" he proposed hopefully and the four friends looked around hesitantly at each other.

"Maybe not yet hey Scoob, but how about one of these for old time's sake?" Shaggy suggested, tentatively holding out his arm in front of him.

"Oh wow!" Daphne giggled. "When was the last time we did one of these? I'm in!" She placed her hand warmly on top of Shaggy's and Velma walked over and swiftly placed the palm of her right hand on top of Daphne's. They all looked invitingly towards Fred who hesitated a fraction of a second, sweating that his hidden injured wrists may be exposed. He pulled the sleeve tightly, before he smiled and rested his hand on Velma's. Scooby eagerly bounded over to complete the move and placed his huge paw over Fred's.

"3,2,1..." Fred counted down quietly, and as he hit 1, they moved their arms upwards as one, and yelled "MYSTERY INC!" together.

They released their arms and everyone was smiling again. Velma's cheeks were tinged with noticeable relief. "Whew! That was a welcome blast from the past! Thanks Shaggy, I needed that. _We_ needed that. No more secrets, yeah?"

The hairs on the back of Fred's neck stood on end. "No more secrets," he said agreeably.

They decided to split into their agreed sleeping arrangements so everyone could take a break and rest. The girls left to head to the room Rory had sorted for them, leaving Shaggy, Fred and Scooby.

Fred's wrists were a real bugbear now and he hastily arranged to grab a shower so he could try and soothe them.

The shower was one door down from their room and he slid into the small cubicle, locked the door, undressed and turned the shower on full blast. He relished in the hot water running down his skin for half a second before it hit the dressing on his shoulder. He yelped in pain and tried to turn his body so that the water wasn't getting a direct hit on his shoulder. He hissed as the water also bubbled on his scarred wrists that were looking worse every hour. He inspected them carefully and could see some real gouges, where the skin was beginning to become infected. He was going to have to sneak some first aid ointment and bandages from somewhere if he didn't want a nasty infection. After a few minutes, he was used to the numbing pain from his wrists and shoulders and lived with it to enjoy the powerful shower. He let the water run down his face and was slightly surprised when he clocked some of the other nasty bruising on his body. There were the cuts on his face from falling from the car, but there were other stark green bruises that had formed across his ribs, his arms and his legs. Hong Kong had nearly broken him, physically and mentally. He was still struggling to believe that one of his best friends had made the decisions he had, despite the very extenuating circumstances. As he thought about Ethan's betrayal again, anger flowed through him and he had punched the cubicle wall before he could even think about his stupidity. His knuckles stung immediately and little pinpricks of blood appeared between each one. He washed them again, then turned off the water.

He wrapped a towel around his lower half and walked in front of the small mirror. He reached up and carefully peeled the dressing back to get a peek at his shoulder. Like Mei said, it looked angry and messy, but he was just glad it hadn't done any serious damage. It didn't bear thinking about, that, had the ninja guy got a better shot, he could have bled out right there and then on the stairwell in Ethan's building.

He gingerly patted the dressing back down and caught sight once again of his messy wrists. There was no first aid within the shower room, and he didn't fancy wandering around a strange base in just a towel, so he began to panic as he worried about returning to the room. There was a small chance Scooby and Shaggy had vacated in search of food (_Okay maybe a substantial chance!_) but Fred was not prepared to take that risk. Shaggy seeing those wrists would present too many awkward questions in his mind. Just as he was contemplating instantly getting dressed again back into his dirty clothes, he spotted a hooded bathrobe hanging on the hook by the door.

_Perfect_ he thought, discarding the towel and wrapping himself in the green robe. It was thin and smelt like it hadn't been used in years but it did the job of disguising his wrists perfectly. He walked back to the room feeling confident, unaware of the shitstorm he was about to face.

* * *

While Freddy was showering, Shaggy and Scooby _were_ eating but Fred had underestimated them if he thought they would have to go on the search for food. Shaggy and Scooby had already procured the best the base had to offer and were contentedly munching their way through an enormous bag of chips.

Shaggy seemed perfectly content now, but, despite the food, something was clearly still bothering Scooby. He was acting somewhat subdued, and Shaggy had had enough.

"What's the matter Scooby Doo? It's not like you to be so quiet? You've been acting real weird since Daph, Fred, and Ethan got back."

Scooby reached forward and took a huge pawful of chips, shoving them in his mouth all in one go as only he could. He crunched them loudly, while Shaggy waited patiently for a response.

"Scoob..."

"Ri don't rant to ralk about rit," he declared stubbornly.

This got Shaggy's attention immediately, ever since he was able to express his feelings, it was unlike Scooby to bottle things up.

Shaggy snatched the bag away, while Scooby's paw was mid-air to grab another scoop and he glared at Shaggy irritably.

"Ro Rair," he whined.

"Scooby, whatever it is, just spit it out! You can't make things any worse."

Scooby looked away now, unable to look at Shaggy now, which had him very worried.

"Scooby," he warned.

"Rine." Scooby said, looking at his best friend again. "'Red's rurt," the Great Dane blurted.

Shaggy felt his shoulders heave with a little relief. He was just worried about Fred.

"Oh Scoob. I know you're still worried about Freddy, but he's okay! His shoulder will heal just fine," he assured him breezily.

Scooby did not look reassured. "Rit's Rot Rhat. Romething Relse," Scooby insisted.

"Something else?" Shaggy asked, his level of alarm raising again. "What do you mean it's 'something else?' Something else with Freddy?"

Scooby nodded at him with certainty. "Romeone rurt Red," he stated. "Ron Rurpose."

"What?! How?! How on earth do you know that Scooby?"

"Ri saw his rists," Scooby said solemnly. "Rer Red."

"They're red? Like _blood _red?!"

Scooby nodded and Shaggy felt a slight chill go through him. "What the hell Scooby? Why would there be anything wrong with Fred's wrists?"

He wasn't entirely sure what Scooby could mean but felt alarmed when he recalled that Fred _had_ been fiddling with his sleeves a lot since he got back. That memory suddenly made him very uneasy but he was soon laughing in pure disbelief when Scooby shared his suspicions.

"Ri Rave a Reory," Scooby stated. "Ri Rink Rhat Rethan rurt Red."

Shaggy immediately collapsed into peals of laughter. "_Ethan!?_ Scooby you cannot be serious! Ethan would never hurt Freddy! That's insane!"

"Rhey Rad a Right," Scooby said stubbornly.

"So did me and Velma!" Shaggy replied with a laugh, though did feel a shadow of doubt as he contemplated the undoubtedly frosty atmosphere that had since developed between Fred and Ethan. _It couldn't possibly be true could it?!_

Scooby had planted a seed of doubt in his mind now and he couldn't help but think back to the times Ethan and Fred had been together in the last few hours. Scooby was right, he realised. They had definitely had a fight. But hurt him? How could Ethan hurt him and still be standing alongside them now?

"I don't think Ethan hurt him Scooby," Shaggy said thoughtfully. "But you're right, something isn't right. You can feel it, Velma can feel it!"

Scooby nodded feverishly. "Rold Roo."

"But the thing is, Freddy promised us, remember? He told us there was nothing more to say. There is NO WAY he would promise us and still hide something. He wouldn't do that," Shaggy said firmly. "ESPECIALLY after he gave us all that shit for not telling them about Will and Stella. Maybe he had another injury he forgot to tell us about?"

Scooby shrugged. "Rask rim."

"I will," Shaggy resolved. "I'm sure it's nothing. He and Ethan had a tiff that's all. Nothing more to it than that." He said it confidently and he didn't have long to wait to test his belief as Fred strolled back in the room. He was about to laugh with him about how silly and paranoid Scooby was being, but his heart sank into the ground when he spotted the highly uncharacteristic dressing gown Fred was wrapped in. Usually, he was content to stroll around in just a towel for ages after showers, showing off his abs and making Shaggy feel like a streak of bacon, but today, he was firmly covered up. There was no doubt in Shaggy's mind any more; Fred was definitely hiding something.

* * *

When Fred walked back into the room, Scooby and Shaggy both stopped whatever they were doing to stare right at him, immediately making him feel instantly uncomfortable.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he asked in concern.

"What's with the robe, dude?" Shaggy asked him calmly.

Fred felt a little jolt of panic hit, but answered his friend with ease. "Oh this? I saw it hanging up in there and thought I'd use it. I feel more comfortable especially in a strange place and with quite a bit of bruising on show."

"I never had you down as the shy type," Shaggy said slightly teasingly. "Well, you might find this funny, I know I did."

"Oh yeah?" Fred said, half listening as he ruffled his wet hair with a towel. "What's up?"

"Well, Scooby and I had noticed that you and Ethan had had a little tiff," Shaggy stated.

Fred froze but tried to continue jovially. "Yeah, we kinda did. It's nothing major though. I just need a little space from him."

"Yeah, I said that to Scooby, it couldn't be anything majorly important. You're going to find this as hilarious as me I'm sure, but Scooby even thought that Ethan had deliberately hurt you!"

"What?" Fred tried to laugh but it came out a little choked and forced. "Why on earth would you think that Scooby?" he asked but thought with sickening certainty that Scooby had not only seen them, but had spoken with Shaggy about his wrists.

"Ha, yeah it's crazy right. He said your wrists were red."

Fred felt like a cornered small animal as Shaggy and Scooby both stared at him.

"It's nonsense, right?" Shaggy said softly, almost pleadingly. "He's had one too many Scooby snacks recently. No more after midnight snackage for you Scoob."

Fred laughed along with Shaggy hesitantly but his discomfort was growing by the second.

"Well, I need to get dressed," Fred stated awkwardly. "So, if you two wouldn't mind..."

"Of course," Shaggy jumped up, crossing the room towards Fred with Scooby. "We'll give you some privacy. But, you never did confirm Fred. Scooby insists your wrists are red. It's easy enough to prove, why don't you just show us your wrists?"

Fred adopted a defensive mode. "But why? If you said you didn't believe Scooby, why would you need me to show you them? This is ridiculous Shaggy."

Shaggy didn't know what possessed him, maybe it was his absolute trust in Scooby, but something didn't sit right about Fred's tone. He reached a startled Fred in two long strides and snagged his left wrist in an instant.

"Shaggy! What are you doing?" Fred whimpered in alarm but knew it was too late. Firmly, Shaggy held his wrist in one tight grip and with his other hand pushed up the baggy sleeve of Fred's robe.

He gasped when he saw the damage. Fred immediately looked away ashamed as Shaggy grabbed his right wrist to do the same and compare results.

Shaggy recoiled in horror at what he saw. Fred's wrists weren't just red, they were horribly cut and scarred, rough gouging marks that pressed deeply into the skin and hinted at a terrible trauma.

"Jesus Christ, Freddy!" he whispered. "What the fuck?!"

Fred couldn't make eye contact with his friend as his fingers gently circled each wrist. "Are these _ligature _marks!?"

"I'm so sorry Shaggy," Fred mumbled, immediately igniting Shaggy's anger.

"You promised us Fred! You fucking promised us there was nothing more to tell us. Why would you cover this up?! We all know that shit went down in Hong Kong. I don't get why you would tell us about being shot but not this...why the hell would you hide this?!"

Fred covered his face with his hands. "Because he was right," he said in a barely audible whisper. "Because _Scooby _was right."

It took a few seconds for it to sink in what Fred was implying but when it hit, it hit Shaggy with such an uncontrollable anger, he could barely contain the rage.

"Ethan?! Are you _fucking serious?!_ _Ethan _did that to you!?"

Fred was quivering while Shaggy's anger built to a crescendo. He knew Shaggy wasn't interested in the 'why' in this moment, he was merely seeing red. "He did that to you and you brought him along here today?! No wonder you can barely stand to look at him. I want to kill him!"

Shaggy walked towards the door with purpose, Scooby at his heels. Fred scrambled to stop him. "Wait! Shaggy don't! Where are you going?!"

"I'm going to get Velma," Shaggy stormed. "She needs to hear this utter bullshit too."

While Fred was relieved that Shaggy wasn't immediately heading out to track down Ethan, going to tell Velma wasn't high on his 'to do list' either. While Shaggy was fuming, Velma's rage would be an absolute tsunami, it's why he and Daphne had agreed to keep it quiet.

"Shaggy, I don't think that's a good idea," he said, rolling his sleeves back down as he struggled to catch up to Shaggy. Shaggy had just got to the door and Fred had a hand on his shoulder to pull him back when they both got a monumental shock as Shaggy succeeded in getting the door open.

They both stared open-mouthed as the visitor on the other side paused, his hand in mid-air, knuckles poised to rap on the door when it had swung open anyway.

He re- gathered his composure as he recovered from the surprising coincidence but there was no denying the upset and the tears on the man's face. Both Shaggy and Fred gaped at Ethan as he stood in the doorway and Ethan barely took any notice of the charged expressions on both of the kids' faces, he was only here to deliver the news.

He looked at them both sorrowfully, his own heart breaking and his voice cracking even as he only spoke two little words. They hung in the air, changing the atmosphere immediately.

"_She's dead."_

* * *

**_A_:N - We're getting closer to the final climax of this story now and it's safe to say tensions between our heroes are at _crisis_ point now. Are they even going to be able to pick themselves up in time before Devon makes his final move? It's hard, but fun to write the gang in conflict with each other, I think it further pulls them away from their 2D counterparts. They are all really_ hurting_ right now.**

**Please do continue to rate and review. Thanks, until next time!**


	18. When Heroes Fall

**A/N: I worried if switching my attention to another fic would make it harder to return to this and ultimately prove to be too much of a distraction. ****Thankfully writing 'Behind The Mask' has had nothing but a positive effect. It renewed my enthusiasm in writing Scooby fic, after previously hitting a bit of a brick wall at the end of the previous chapter and I found that this just flowed out. I have always had the beginning and the end mapped out from the off but the middle bit trying to get naturally into the resolution was proving so difficult. Turns out 'Behind the Mask' was just the shot in the arm I needed for this and I think I'm well and truly over the 'hump' :) I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 18: When Heroes Fall

Hastily, Fred pulled his hand from Shaggy's shoulder as he tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Shaggy had gone from a raging ball of anger to instantly freezing in shock. Presently, Fred noticed that Ethan hadn't actually arrived alone, and an equally grief-stricken looking Daphne and Velma were stood just behind him in the corridor.

"W-what happened?" Shaggy stammered.

Fred silently ushered them all into the room without even thinking about it. Ethan shuffled in first like a zombie not really aware of his surroundings at all, and Daphne and Velma followed shortly after, linking arms.

Once the door closed behind them, Ethan seemed to snap out of his mini trance to answer Shaggy's question. "She uh, she uh, suffered a massive cardiac arrest, th-they, they couldn't save her. She passed away about ten minutes ago."

Fred felt immediately numb. _This couldn't be real. First Will, now Stella, both...gone._

Tears trailed down his cheeks so readily that he couldn't stop them. Hadn't they suffered enough already? Losing Will and Stella was utterly heart-breaking for all of them.

Shaggy had sat back down on his bed and buried his face in his hands, Scooby sorrowfully placed his head on the boy's lap. The girls huddled together on the other bed, comforting each other's pain, and Ethan looked utterly destroyed, standing sombrely alone by the door.

Fred quietly walked over to him and gently placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, while his own face remained streaked by his tears.

"I'm so sorry," he said quietly, choking back a sob. "I know, I know that you two had became close."

Ethan looked gratefully towards Fred, unable to summon much more than a quiet 'thank you' in return.

It was true that Ethan and Stella had become particularly good friends and had been bonded together in a way the gang hadn't. From the moment that Stella had first met Ethan in hospital, immediately after he had escaped from Devon's captivity, she had treated him with nothing but absolute compassion and kindness. It was also her absolute belief in, what were on the surface, _outrageous_ claims about the then peerless Devon Blake, that had led to the police assault on the farmhouse. It was an action that ultimately had ensured the gang's safety.

After that, although Ethan had declined to officially join _Mystery Inc_, he certainly helped them on their cases through his sources and leads, and had developed both a productive and friendly relationship with Stella White. His slightly gung-ho attitude ensured it became a complicated relationship that occasionally landed him in hot water with her if he pushed things too far. They did actually clash often but there was one singular cause that united them completely: A desire to finally put an end to Devon Blake's reign of terror.

This was why after Ethan's initial anger at Stella for covering up Devon's 'Oakland' involvement, they had begun to work together even more closely (but from afar) as Ethan sourced information from his exploits undercover in Hong Kong with the sole aim of finally nailing Devon. He was feeling completely guilt-laden now that his false information had led to the ill-fated raid on the warehouse that had now claimed both hers and Will's life and countless other members of their already heavily-hit police force.

He shook Fred's hand off his shoulder, suddenly feeling violently ill.

"I need to get some air guys," he said slightly apologetically before darting from the room.

"Poor guy," Velma sniffed, wiping away the last of her tears. "They had become particularly good friends I believe."

"They had," Daphne nodded, her tears dry now but the grief still weighed heavy in her heart. It hung in the air desolately for all of them. Losing both of the detectives had left such a monumental hole.

Will Barnum and Stella White hadn't just become allies to the gang, they were their friends, their protectors, and as they all had learned now; the driving force in the continued fight against Devon Blake and his poison. Their deaths were felt hard by each and every one of the gang.

And boy did it _hurt._

They were also painfully aware that their deaths symbolised something even worse. It was the biggest signal yet that they were losing the battle. Killing Will and Stella wasn't just enough evidence to prove that Devon was winning, it was the most significant blow. They were the authority figures in this fight, the unequivocal good guys, their protectors who had come to their aid on several occasions. They had secretly fought a battle against Devon Blake and his forces for two years while still harbouring one aim – protect the kids. That obstacle had now been removed. Their staunchest defenders now both removed, it was a dagger through each of their hearts and was an absolutely devastating victory for Devon that sent shock-waves through not just them, but all who remained in that tiny little compound who were fighting the good fight.

The grieving eventually transitioned into a period of reminiscence for the gang as they toasted their memories of their late friends with a few drinks in Shaggy's room. It was already long after midnight when Ethan had broken the sad news and the first hints of daylight were beginning to creep into the compound, Ethan had yet to return and they hadn't seen Justin for hours now, not since he left when they started that explosive team meeting. They sat on the floor together, numbing the pain with some bottles of wine and some glasses they had sneaked out of the kitchen, and some cans that Shaggy had kept hidden in the van. Daphne was now snuggled up with Fred again, the pair of them wrapped in a blanket together. Velma and Shaggy were sitting close but not quite together. Scooby was curled up on Shaggy's bed dozing softly.

"Man, I still can't believe they're both gone," said Shaggy sadly as he sank his third beer. "I will never forget that feeling of relief as Freddy, Scoob and I emerged from the dark tunnel that night to find police cars as far as the eye could see. I had never seen a more welcoming sight!"

They all sadly nodded their agreement, there was no doubt that the strong police presence had saved them all that night. It was the first, but far from the last time, that Will and Stella had come to the gang's timely aid as they had set about tackling Coolsville's newly risen masked menaces with their new crime solving venture.

"Hey, do you remember that first interrogation, Shaggy?" Velma said with a smile, as she reached for the bottle to pour herself another glass of wine.

"Oh hell yes! He was definitely the bad cop to Stella's good cop that night!" Shaggy chuckled ruefully. "Like, I was _terrified_ of him."

"He did seem pretty imposing at first," Daphne mused in agreement. "But we soon found out he was an absolute pussycat when he wasn't on duty. Luckily, he remained a tiger to everybody else."

"He was brave and fierce. They both were. God, they saved us so many times," said Fred with a sigh, finishing his beer and crushing the can with unnecessary force.

The room fell silent again as they all reflected on that statement; on their very best cases, Stella and Will merely arrived on time to wrap up the proceedings, with their plan having gone smoothly and the bad guys apprehended with barely a hitch. Of course, this hadn't always been the case and some 'incidences' had been far too close for comfort.

Like the time when Fred's trap had literally fallen apart at the seams at the very last second, allowing their suspect to break free and almost drown Velma. Will and Stella were there to save the day.

Or that time when they had truly bit off more than they could chew and were confronted by quite a psychotic assailant, who had managed to trap Fred at knifepoint. Will and Stella were there to save the day.

Then there was the time that the fun of 'the chase' was anything but and not only did their suspect manage to catch Shaggy, he gave him a hefty beating for his troubles. Will and Stella were there to save the day.

However, all of those undoubtedly hair-raising incidents still paled in comparison to Will and Stella's greatest ever 'save'. Individually, they had all had their 'bad days on the job' but there could be no doubt collectively what their most dangerous case had been.

"Like, are you guys all thinking of the same case?" Shaggy asked with a shudder.

"The Moore farm?" offered Daphne. "I think we all are."

"Oh god, the mistake we made that day, it still haunts me to this day," Velma exclaimed.

"Will and Stella really did save our bacon that day," Fred agreed, his stomach churning as he was once again reminded of the near fatal case they had all tried to forget.

* * *

**_Three Year__s__ Ago_**

_Since Mystery Inc had 'opened for business' after the adventure at Vasquez Castle around three months ago, they had had a steady stream of cases, and though there had been some precarious moments, generally the gang hadn't been in any real danger up to that point. That all changed when they innocently investigated reports of a haunting at Moore Farm, about twenty miles from Coolsville._

_By this point, they had unmasked enough creeps to know that it was invariably 'just' a man in a mask with some lame scheme, so their initial approach to the case was 'standard'. __The owners of Moore Farm had already fled in fear so the Farm was empty when they got there on a brilliantly sunny and hot June day._

"_Okay, time to put your money where your mouth is, guys!" Velma grinned, turning to her friends before they got out of the van. "What are we saying this time? Real estate? Long lost treasure? Disgruntled relative?"_

_Daphne smiled, putting on her sunglasses as they climbed from the van and she studied the ageing farmhouse with disdain. "Hmm, well looking at the farmhouse, I can't imagine this is the kind of place people are dying to inherit, so maybe a play for the land?"_

"_I'd love it if it really was treasure!" exclaimed Fred, taking Daphne's hand. "We've never actually come across any genuine 'treasure' yet. There's got to be some out there! What do you guys think?" he asked, turning to Shaggy and Scooby who had belatedly emerged from the back of the van._

"_I think Scooby and I are hungry." Shaggy stated with a yawn, and stretched his long limbs. "Let's hope the owners didn't have time to grab any of that wholesome farm food!"_

"_Typical," Velma shook her head with a little scowl before getting right down to business. "So, according to the family, Ma Moore said she saw a hooded creep in the barn, when she was tending to the chickens late one night. He was dressed in black and had a green face."_

"_Standard spook for us," Daphne grinned, interrupting Velma's summary of the case so far._

"_Quite," Velma said a little testily, clearly unhappy to be interrupted. "Anyway, she was obviously shook up but as it was late at night, she put it down to being tired and hallucinating. One minute he was there and the next, he wasn't. She didn't think too much of it. That was of course, until the same hooded mystery showed up the next night inside the house. A threatening message was left on the wall in the baby's nursery, warning them to 'get out', and then Pa Moore also saw the hooded fiend downstairs in the basement, where it attacked him, throwing a chair and any other item it had to hand, straight towards him."_

"_Which means he's clearly corporeal," Fred interrupted smugly and Velma turned to the blond annoyed. _

"_Well, obviously Freddy. But, this was more than enough to force the Moore's out. Pa gathered up his family right in that instant, loaded up the car and high-tailed it out of there, but not before being attacked by the hooded menace one last..."_

"_Oh come on Velma! Just give him the proper name already!" Fred burst out giddily in anticipation, and Velma sighed totally giving up now._

"_Fine. They were attacked on the drive way off the farm by '**The** **Creeper'**_**, **_who appeared suddenly in front of their car. They swerved around him and they were gone. Last I heard they had gone to Ma's sister in the next state. Of course, the police were called out to investigate but they found no sign of this so-called Creeper."_

"_Creeper, I just love that name," sighed Fred happily. "Ma told the press that it was because of the eerie way he moved around, just creeping around the place. Appearing and disappearing in an instant."_

"_That sure **is** creepy," Daphne agreed. "So the question is, what is he after? If we're correct and scaring off the Moore's wasn't his sole aim, despite the police finding nothing, we expect him to be back for a reason. Stella and Will have given us permission to investigate while the premises remain empty."_

"_Exactly, we just have to find out what that reason is! I'm pretty excited by this one!" Fred said goofily, desperately holding on to his dream of long lost treasure. Despite the fact he had been the most reluctant to 'investigate' Vasquez Castle, he had quickly embraced their new venture and approached every case with the same childish enthusiasm that Daphne found completely endearing and the others found completely annoying._

_They spent the morning investigating the case in their usual investigative fashion, splitting up and hunting for clues. When they reconvened a couple of hours later, it seemed they had found very little of significance between them, and no sign of the Creeper._

"_Maybe he really did get what he came for that night and has already left?" suggested Daphne in disappointment. "Maybe it was all about scaring away the Moore's and mission accomplished."_

"_Maybe, I did find something though," said Velma. "These documents show that Ma and Pa Moore have only lived at the farm for a couple of years, there was nothing pertaining to who the previous owners were."_

"_Hmm," said Fred. "Well, there's only one place we haven't checked. It's time to check out that basement!"_

"_Do we have to?" said Shaggy with a defeated sigh. "You should know by now no good comes from checking out creepy basements Freddy."_

_But Fred was already opening the door and the girls were following him down the staircase. Not wanting to be left alone, Shaggy and Scooby reluctantly followed the adventurous trio._

_It was a stereotypical creepy basement, where the stairs creaked ominously with every footstep and where every surface was covered in a thick layer of cobwebs. The only thing that looked like it was from this century was a modern chest freezer in the corner, which was clearly the only purpose why the Moore's' had ever ventured down the rickety stairs._

_Fred flicked the light on which was a single naked bulb that hung from the middle of the ceiling. _

_Daphne tentatively poked her hand in a box only to withdraw it seconds later in fright when a spider ran across her fingertips._

_There was a ton of junk which they began to poke around cautiously, still there didn't seem to be** anything**__worth scaring off a whole family for._

_Fred was just beginning to think this whole thing really was a disappointing bust when his eyes curiously took in a hideously creepy painting of a child on the far wall of the basement. He didn't know what made him do it, but gingerly he took the painting from the wall before his eyes lit up in delight. BINGO._

"_Hey, I got something!" he called eagerly to the others, "there's a door behind this painting."_

"_Fuck right off," Velma snorted in derision but was amazed when Fred revealed the truth. A small wooden door hidden behind the huge painting._

_He grinned, clutching the handle and then shone his torch into the secret room and promptly dropped it in alarm._

_A huge shadow rose up from the corner, green face turning menacingly towards the partially revealed gang stood gaping in the door way._

"_GET OUT!" the Creeper yelled before charging right towards them._

_Panicked, Fred shut the door and quickly replaced the painting before catching up with the rest of the fleeing gang as they thundered up the staircase. Shaggy and Scooby darted outside, seeking cover in the barn while Fred and the girls hurried upstairs. As they reached the top of the staircase, the Creeper suddenly appeared blocking their way and while Daphne and Fred screamed in fear, Velma frowned in confusion, how the hell had the Creeper got from the basement so quickly?_

_They fled outside to the barn where they found a hiding Shaggy and Scooby who insisted the Creeper had also searched for them inside the barn._

_Spooked, the gang returned to the van, and for a fleeting moment of joy, Shaggy thought this was one mystery they were finally going to run away from. He should have known better._

_Fred's plan was that the Creeper would only think they had successfully been frightened away, he planned for them to return on foot at nightfall._

"_We have to find out what's in that room!" Fred argued. It has to be something huge!"_

_Shaggy sighed in resignation, he knew there would be no way of dissuading Freddy once he had his teeth firmly caught in a new mystery. Shaggy could happily live out the rest of his life never knowing what was in that room, thank you very much, but unfortunately the girls shared Fred's sense of reckless adventure and he was heavily outvoted._

_As night fell, it was still hot and stuffy and after parking the Mystery Machine some two miles away covered by bales of hay, the walk back to the Moore farm was unbearable for all of them._

_Scooby was panting heavily in the heat and Daphne dabbed at her forehead with her scarf, relieved when the old brick red building came into sight. They huddled quietly behind the barn._

"_Okay, Freddy so what's the plan? Split up?"_

"_No, we need to catch the Creeper first," Fred argued to everyone's surprise._

"_But we haven't even solved the mystery yet?" Velma pointed out the obvious. "We never catch the guy _FIRST."

"_I just have a gut feeling, we won't be able to get anywhere near that room until the Creeper is out of the picture," Fred shared his thoughts with the gang. "We can catch him and then go check out the room completely safe."_

"_It's unconventional Fred, but I'm game!" Daphne agreed. "What do we need to do?"_

"_We'll need to lure the Creeper out again by making as much noise as possible in the house. I have an idea that we should make it seem like the Moores have returned home. That should get his attention. Velma and Shaggy you guys dress up as Ma and Pa, there's plenty of clothes left behind upstairs."_

_Shaggy opened his mouth indignantly then realised this was better than the usual ' Shaggy and Scooby get chased to draw out the monster' shtick that they had favoured on too many occasions recently._

_I figure the barn is the perfect place for a trap," Fred continued, his eyes shining. "There's all manner of hoists and pulleys. We just need to draw him out to the barn where Daph and I will be ready. You think you guys can handle that?" he asked, eyeing Shaggy, Velma and Scooby._

"_Sure thing," Shaggy said with a sigh._

"_Excellent, let's catch ourselves a Creeper!"_

_The gang all helped Fred set up an elaborate trap to catch the Creeper. As had become custom with Fred's 'traps', it looked like a Science experiment with some award winning use of physics. The final part of the trap involved Fred lassoing the Creeper, and Daphne hoisting him from the barn's high rafters. The gang were torn at that point whether that was when they should call in Will and Stella, or go investigate the room first. Fred was desperate to go to the hidden room in the basement and argued his case that the suspect would be perfectly immobile. Velma, who was always much more cautious, pointed out the trap wasn't entirely fool proof. What if the Creeper got loose again? Surely they needed to call the police the second they caught him? They were still undecided when the trap was eventually set in motion._

_Shaggy, Scooby and Velma sneaked into the house a little before midnight and with his human friends dressing up, Scooby wandered into the kitchen while he waited for them. He was delighted to find a juicy bone just sitting and waiting for him. He trotted over happily and as soon as he picked it up, a cage slammed down around him, startling him. He whined loudly when the Creeper appeared, materialising appropriately from the shadows with a grin on his face. The Creeper switched the light off and locked the kitchen door._

_Meanwhile, upstairs, Shaggy and Velma now dressed as Ma and Pa Moore, were making a heck of a racket, playing music and thumping around to draw out the Creeper. __It didn't take long for them to succeed. With a furious roar, he lumbered up the stairs and went after Shaggy and Velma. Velma narrowly escaped from having a vase thrown at her head and the two of them then bombed down the stairs. Shaggy was concerned that Scooby has not re-appeared but nevertheless stuck with the plan. __They were both fast and managed to get themselves a good distance ahead of the Creeper as they ran out of the house, across the yard and towards the barn._

"_Get Ready!" shouted Velma in warning to Fred and Daphne but was astonished to find the Creeper suddenly breathing right down their necks again._

_How could he move so fast? He didn't look particularly spry. He was lanky and cumbersome._

_She didn't have time to think about this further, he was so close now, close enough to reach out. He did. He swiped at her shoulder and she ducked away in time. Shaggy flung open the barn door, and as planned dived into the darkness to the left. Velma to the right._

_The lights come back on and Fred is suddenly standing there, waving obnoxiously at the Creeper "Hey, here I am!"_

_As the Creeper lunges forward to grab Fred, he instantly trips over a tripwire, lands in an old wheelbarrow, and it shoots backwards at speed, landing precariously on a beam of wood. In the darkness, Fred drops a heavy rock on the plank, which has the catapulting effect of sending the Creeper high up into the air where he lands dishevelled in a pile of hay. Before he can get to his feet, he feels a thick rope cinch tight around his torso, pinning his arms to him and before he has chance to react to that, he is hoisted high into the air, dangling from the rafters like meat on a hook._

"_YESS!" Fred cheers, tying the rope around a support beam to hold him place, and the rest of the gang appear once again. Fred and Velma move towards the suspect. Shaggy and Daphne are stood by the open door, Shaggy is distracted because Scooby still hasn't shown._

"_Time to find out who this Creeper really is," Fred announced triumphantly, getting ready to bring him back down again._

"_But we have no idea Freddy!" Daphne reminded him, "because we haven't solved the mystery yet, we have no real suspects!"_

"_Ha, you're right," Fred chuckled. "I guess it doesn't really matter but tradition is tradition after all."_

_He started to undo the rope and slowly lower the man to the floor but Velma looked perturbed and sounded worried._

"_Wait, Freddy, I don't think you should yet, we really ought to call the police now. There's something about this case that doesn't sit right with me at all. Something is not making sense."_

_Fred paused, tying the rope back over and leaving him suspended in mid-air. "Well sure, things don't make sense yet Velma, we haven't solved the case yet, we're not doing this in the traditional way."_

"_No, it's not just that!" Velma insisted. "There's something I'm missing I'm sure of it. I just have this gut feeling you should call Will and Stella right now, I have a real bad feeling about this..."_

_Velma's uneasiness spread rapidly around the rest of the gang. _

_The suspect who had remained quiet until now chuckled loudly now inside his mask. "Boy, what an absolute honour it is to meet the Mystery brats I've heard so much about lately. You know, you really should have listened to the smart chick," he drawled mockingly. "It might have saved your lives."_

"_That's it!" Daphne shivered, fishing in her bag for her cell phone. "I'm calling Will and Stella right...nowwwwwww AHHHHH!"_

_Fred's head snapped around instantly in alarm towards Daphne as she screamed._

"_Drop the phone sweetheart," a menacing voice said, but it didn't come from the suspect swinging from the rafters with a smug grin on his face now, but rather behind Daphne and Shaggy from the open door._

_What had caused her to scream was a rifle poking into her back, and holding the rifle was a second identically dressed grinning looming Creeper, only this one was armed with a shotgun that he was pointing at Daphne and Shaggy's backs._

_The colour instantly drained from Freddy's face, he was still clutching onto the rope that held the original Creeper aloft. For Velma she was still reeling from the sloppy mistake that she feared was about to cost them dear. She realised now__ why she had felt so uneasy, it was how the Creeper had materialised and vanished at will, both with them, and how the sightings had been described by the Moores. Upstairs to downstairs or inside to outside in a flash, there were only two possible explanations; The Creeper was a real spectre, or, there were two of them._

"_And everyone told us you guys were smart! You couldn't even figure out the classic accomplice twist," laughed the one still trapped in Fred's trap._

_Daphne had dropped her cell phone as requested and the 2nd Creeper behind her reached forward and stamped on it. He pushed the shotgun further into Daphne's back and ushered her and Shaggy further into the barn. He then waved the shotgun towards Fred and Velma menacingly. _

"_Smart chick, get over here."_

_Velma looked reproachfully at Fred, before slowly walking towards Shaggy and Daphne. She stood next to them whilst the Creeper aimed his shotgun behind them all._

_Fred never took his eyes off his friends but still held the rope firmly in his hands. He took a step forward but the Creeper with the gun ushered him straight back. _

"_No, not you blondie. **You're** going to get my brother down and untie him."_

_**Brother, of course they were brothers.** **Twin menacers** thought Fred. Despite the peril they were in, he couldn't help still thinking about what it was the brothers were hiding. He made no move to free the captured brother._

"_Hurry up blondie, you're making my finger itch," The armed Creeper said threateningly but still Fred refused._

_The Creeper sighed exaggeratedly, before loading his shotgun loudly and aiming it straight at Daphne's head now.,,_

"_You'll get him down in the next ten seconds unless you want me to kill your pretty little girlfriend right here in front of you."_

_Fred gulped, realising both of the Creepers had obviously spied on them and probably caught him kissing Daphne earlier when they were supposed to be looking for clues. Like Velma, he was furiously berating himself for not spotting the obvious signs that there were two of them. _

_He quickly unfurled the rope that released the first brother and when he hit the floor, he nervously knelt down next to him to undo the complex knot that had held him snug._

"_Thank you," the first Creeper leered at Fred, before punching him square in the face, sending him crashing to the floor. "That's for your smug little trap." As Fred tried to get back up with the cries of his friends ringing in his ears, the Creeper launched a vicious kick to his stomach, a sound that reverberated around the barn and had Daphne screaming in anguish._

"_And that's because, well just because, it's fun."_

_The previously captured Creeper grabbed Fred to his feet, while he was still recovering from the brutal kick and threw him towards his friends._

"_Tie them all up," he instructed his brother, retrieving some more rope._

_The brothers tied the gang up, kneeling them in a line on the floor of the barn. _

_The second Creeper who had arrived with the shotgun, called his brother to the corner where they couldn't be heard, while still sneaking glances at the gang to make sure they didn't move._

"_What are we going to do, Harry?" he asked him anxiously. "We can just leave them locked in here. They haven't seen our faces. They have no idea who we are."_

"_An excellent point but I'm afraid we can leave absolutely nothing to chance Neil. We've worked so hard. I'm not going back!"_

"_I don't want to kill them Harry!" he said in a loud, panicked whisper._

"_Oh come on Neil, let's not get all pernicious here, they're not the first witnesses we've killed and they probably won't be the last."_

"_But they're so young!"_

"_And nosy! You've seen the stories about them Neil, we'd be doing our brethren in the town a favour by getting rid of them. Let's get a grip here."_

"_Okay," The Creeper called Neil reluctantly agreed with a sigh. "But this is your sick call. _**YOU** _do it."_

"_With pleasure," Harry grinned, and Neil handed him a second shotgun._

_They both walked towards the gang and Neil taunted them now._

"_You know, you really shouldn't put your noses in other people's business. Let this be a lesson to you!"_

"_Yes," Harry agreed, smiling sinisterly. "It will be your very LAST lesson in fact."_

_With that chilling sentence, the gang knew this was it now. One simple mistake! That's all it was! One simple thing overlooked was going to cost them their lives._

_The Creeper named Harry walked in front of them all now. _

"_Hmm now, which one shall go first? I know, let's make this fair."_

"_EENIE" – he pointed the gun at Daphne._

"_MEENIE" – the shotgun swivelled in Shaggy's direction._

"_MINEY" – The gun lurched towards Velma._

"_MO" – his gaze and the shotgun locked on Freddy, who didn't look afraid, just resigned to his fate now._

_With the others crying, Fred felt Harry circle him again to stand right behind him, the shotgun almost touching his head. It wasn't the first time he had a gun to his head but unlike when Devon Blake's crony had grabbed him at gunpoint by the roadside that night, and he knew he had no real intention of pulling the trigger, this time was different. He knew it, the gang knew it. Their luck had run out. He screwed his eyes tightly shut and waited for peace._

_The shot never came. Instead, the barn door flew open and there stood a most welcome sight of Stella White, standing fiercely and holding her gun. A similarly armed Will was with an unharmed leashed Scooby, and a smattering of cops stood further behind them._

"_Drop your weapons," Stella commanded calmly of both Creepers. _

_The second creeper instead grabbed his own shotgun and aimed it at Will who laughed heartily._

"_Easy there Lurch, you don't want to see who can shoot the quickest. I can guarantee you will lose."_

_Neil hesitated before dropping his gun and surrendering, Will smiled in satisfaction before turning his attention to the second creep who still had his weapon pointed at the head of the leader of the gang, Fred Jones. Stella, as she usually did, had a calm handle on the situation._

_As the Creeper defiantly cocked his shotgun. Stella gave him one last chance. "If you even so much as **think** about shooting that kid, or any of them in fact, I can 100 per cent guarantee that it will be the very last thing you do."_

_Harry smirked, his hand ready to squeeze the trigger and with that tiny movement, Stella let fly, a bullet hitting him square in the head before he even had chance to pull the trigger, the gun fell harmlessly to the floor as did the now dead Creeper._

* * *

"I mean, she didn't even hesitate did she?" Shaggy marvelled in reflection now. "Just BLAM. And that's it, he's _dead_."

"Absolutely," said Velma, immediately chilled to be reminded of their worst day as Mystery Inc in Coolsville. "Every day we should thank our lucky stars that _they_ worked out the mystery this time and arrived just in time to save our skins."

"And it taught us a very important lesson, _never_ try and capture the bad guy without figuring out the full mystery first!" Daphne said wryly. They could look back on it with some amusement now but at the time it was terrifying. Unbeknown to the gang, Will and Stella were hot on the heels of a pair of violent escaped criminals.

They had been a part of a wider armed robbery gang who hadn't been concerned with things like collateral damage and had killed witnesses along the way. The Moore family had bought the farm having no idea a huge amount of stolen cash had been stored by the gang at the farm a few years previously. When Neil and Harry Spencer escaped after a botched prison transfer, they had made their way back to the farm where the loot had supposedly being hidden by the members of the gang that had never been apprehended. They scared away the Moores latching onto the Halloween costume trend and then searched for the money. Stella and Will meanwhile, had given the gang their blessing to investigate the Moore farm after the police had found nothing initially. Will and Stella had then made the connections with the Moore farm haunting, and the unsolved aspects of the armed robberies, together with the nearby escape of the Spencer brothers and had put two and two together and raced to the farm just in time to save the kids.

They would never be able to do so again.

After recalling the detectives' greatest save, there was a dark and gloomy atmosphere present between the gang now. They were now undoubtedly more vulnerable than ever. While they felt safe in the compound for now, they knew it wouldn't last forever and word would eventually get out to Devon that not only were Will and Stella definitely dead, but that they had all returned to Coolsville too. All they really had left now was each other, Rory and the rest of the cops who remained and...Ethan.

Ethan had fled some five hours ago now, but only Daphne was belatedly showing some concern for her sibling.

"Gosh it's almost 6 am," she said looking at her watch in alarm. "I really hope Ethan comes back soon. "I'm worried about him."

"Ha," snorted Shaggy softly, draining another beer. "I hope he doesn't."

Daphne snapped her head around instantly to look at Shaggy in shock. He had said little and he had it said so quietly but even so there was no denying the animosity in his tone. Completely vicious and uncaring. There was only one explanation and she looked to Fred questioningly who confirmed without saying a word. She could read it in his eyes.

_He knows._

_Fuck. _She wondered why Fred had decided to reveal all, if indeed that was the case, but although they had both feared this moment, it was happening with them in a far more precarious position right now. Shaggy, like all of them, had been drinking for the last few hours while they mourned their fallen friends. Angry Shaggy was already an incredibly grim prospect. Angry,_ drunk_ Shaggy was a recipe for absolute disaster.

She prayed that Velma hadn't caught Shaggy's soft dig but Velma, tipsy or not was always ear-shatteringly perceptive.

"Huh, Shag," she said. "Why would you wish Ethan doesn't come back?"

_And there we go! _thought Daphne despairingly. _The__ fuse has been well and truly lit._

Shaggy didn't need any further invitation, Daphne could hear his words slurring straight away.

"Well, maybe you should ask that question of Freddy and Daphne?" he suggested. "Or maybe just ask Fred to show you his wrists. Turns out he's got a _very _good story to tell us!"

Fred shifted uncomfortably next to Daphne, he knew Shaggy had Velma's full attention right now.

"What?" she said in confusion, staring questioningly at Freddy and Daphne. "What's he talking about guys?"

"Shaggy," Daphne warned. "Do you really think this is an appropriate time to bring this up?"

"Why not Daphne?" Shaggy challenged. "Besides I think Velma deserves to know the kind of person we've been working with for the past twenty four hours!"

"This is about Ethan?" Velma asked, looking between all three of them. Nobody was speaking.

"Daphne," she demanded slowly of her friend. "Daph, speak to me! What is Shaggy talking about?! Did Ethan do something to you two? Is that why Fred has been shooting daggers at him this whole time?" Fred looked at Velma in surprise and she continued. "Oh don't think I haven't noticed! And I'm not an idiot, I know that story he told us about the bike and the robot rider was a complete load of bunkum but I didn't know _why _he was telling me such an outrageous lie. I won't take any more shit Daphne, tell me what really happened in Hong Kong. Don't leave anything out."

And so Daphne, with painful contributions from Fred, finally told both Shaggy and Velma the complete unabridged saga of their nightmare in Hong Kong, from being pursued and shot by Devon's goons to eventually being kidnapped and held captive by...Ethan.

"So, let me get this straight?" Velma said, her head buzzing from the alcohol she had consumed and the unbelievable story that had spilled from her friends' lips. "Ethan kidnapped you both in Hong Kong to _protect_ you from Devon. You then conspired with him to bring him back here to work alongside us whilst all the time covering up what he really did to you. Why the fuck would you do that?" She demanded furiously. "I mean, I know he's your brother Daphne, but really, there's lines that are crossed and there are _lines_ crossed. He hasn't just crossed it, he's made a ruddy great crater in doing so!"

Daphne had mentally braced herself from the eventual anger Velma would unleash from the moment Shaggy had drunkenly scorned Ethan's absence. She hadn't disappointed. As Velma and Shaggy heard even more gory details, their eyes had blazed with anger the whole time and Daphne wasn't sure what they were more angry about. That Ethan had done that to herself and Freddy, or that Fred and Daphne had seemingly forgiven him already and then hid the truth from Shaggy and Velma.

"I haven't forgiven him," Daphne explained, defending her position. "Neither myself or Fred have. How could I? He betrayed us in the most horrific way imaginable. He hit Fred on the head with a rock. I'm still absolutely furious with him. And I will be for a long, long time. But...we need him. More than ever now with recent developments we need him. Devon thinks he's had nothing but victories. Will, Stella, Ethan. All gone. But it's not true! And we need to hold that to our advantage. It's slim but it's all we have right now. You've heard the saying 'love thy enemy?' We _need_ to work with Ethan now. Be angry with him by all means but we cannot shut him out."

" But Daphne," Shaggy was still full of drunken rage. "He hurt you and Fred!" He was struggling to get past this simple fact. "How can you even bear to look at him?!"

"It's not easy Shaggy." Fred admitted. "It's one of the hardest things I've had to do in fact. He turns my stomach."

Daphne looked shocked by the brutal turn of phrase and he turned to her regretfully. "I'm sorry babe but its true. I don't think I can ever be friends with him again," he admitted. He sighed but then looked earnestly to Shaggy and Velma, pleading with them. "But Daphne's right, until this is all over, we need him. We need him in the fight against Devon. We're fast running out of allies, we cannot afford to turn against him."

Velma was incredibly reluctantly persuaded but Shaggy did not seem at all convinced.

"Please try Shaggy, please try and act normally when he eventually returns," Daphne begged.

"Fine," he grumbled.

Two hours later, just before 9 am, Ethan and Justin returned together. The gang were still wide awake, even more alcohol had been consumed. From his breath as they entered, it seemed like Ethan had been drinking too.

"Hey gang, there's something you need to see," he said with urgency.

He took just two steps towards them. They knew despite his assurances that Shaggy was unlikely to just let it lie the next time he saw them, but even so they were all far too slow to react.

Shaggy was on his feet and in Ethan's face in an instant. "You goddamn son of a bitch!" he yelled in his face, before drunkenly swinging his fist. And missed wildly. Instead, he caught Justin square on the chin, who yelped in surprise.

Fred had recovered quickly enough now and grabbed Shaggy before he could inflict any further damage, dragging his snarling friend from a stunned Ethan's face.

His attack neutralised, Shaggy continued to yell at Ethan. "You fucking piece of shit, how could you?!"

"What the hell is going on?" Ethan demanded, looking to the others. Velma was similarly shooting him daggers.

"They know, Ethan," Fred said evenly.

"Shit," replied Ethan before looking frustrated. "Look, this is possibly the worst time, you gotta calm Shaggy down. He needs to hear this. You all do!"

"I don't want to hear anything you've got to say," Shaggy spat hatefully. "You hurt my friends and then manipulated them into letting you come here. I don't know how you have the gall to show up here!"

Ethan sighed loudly. "Of course this blows up in my face now. Of course it does. Look, I mean it, we are wasting time already! We don't have time right now for this petty falling out."

"Petty?!" Velma screeched. "You think this is 'petty' Ethan? You have some cheek." Daphne caught the fire dancing in Velma's intoxicated eyes and caught her just before she raked her nails down Ethan's face.

"Jesus!" Ethan jumped back in shock before becoming angry. "God I knew this would happen Daphne, it's why I said 'don't tell them'. They wouldn't understand! Did you tell them Fred, just to spite me?"

Fred who had remained largely quiet while all hell was breaking loose, found his own alcohol rush coming to his head now as Ethan accused him of stirring the pot.

"_I _didn't tell them!" He furiously defended himself. "I went along with your ridiculous charade just like you wanted us to but you under estimated one thing with your genius flawless plan Ethan."

"Whats that?"

"Daphne and I work with detectives. They figured it out all by themselves. I mean, it doesn't take a genius to see we weren't exactly acting like best buds any more. And Scooby, well he could smell the stench of _betrayal_ all over you," he sneered.

"OKAY ENOUGH!" shouted a previously silent voice and they all immediately stopped to turn to look at Justin in surprise.

"I've heard enough of your dramas to last a lifetime," he suddenly exploded in a quiet rage. "Yes you're all hurting and your feelings are hurt. Boo hoo. There's bigger things at stake right now if you could all just pull your heads out of your arses for one second."

"And what's that, _Justin?_" Daphne said sardonically, furious to be castrated by the man who had helped Ethan with his plan in Hong Kong. "Nobody even knows what the fuck you are doing here?"

"Like I said Daphne, this is not the time for any of this. We're here because of the reason for all of this: One Devon Blake."

"Okay, sure, we know that already, what's that got to do with right now?" Fred asked.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Because, you didn't give me a chance to finish before you all converged on me like a pack of wild dogs. No offense Scooby. You're still cool."

Five pairs of eyes were angrily fixed on him and he held up the item he had clutched in his hand all along.

"Fine," Fred said, folding his arms. "Come on, do tell us why you are here."

"Because a few minutes ago, a broadcast went live all over breakfast TV here in Coolsville and the local area. Devon has finally made contact," Ethan said gravely, waving the videotape in their faces impatiently.


	19. The Devil in the Details

** A/N: So, for this chapter we're throwing all the way back to some of the details from 'New Beginnings, Familiar Conclusions.' For such a notorious antagonist we have seen very little of Devon's actual presence in this sequel and for him to play such a huge part in the denouement of this story we need to examine him a little more. Don't worry, there isn't a chance I'm going to have you feeling sorry for him, quite the opposite in fact. There's no redemption arc for this villain. But I do want to examine a little bit of his motivations since that night. Exactly what has he been doing all this time? Has he been aware of the gang? Why did he suddenly decide to get the revenge he did in such devastating fashion? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the dark mind of one Devon Blake.**

* * *

**Chapter 19 – The Devil in the Details**

**_Coolsville, November 2009, That night._**

Devon Blake couldn't help but to admire the spunky attitude of Daphne and her new friends. Daphne herself had shown real courage and guts in a completely unexpected way in the way she had stood up to him so resolutely. He still couldn't help but admire Fred Jones for his determination and bravery, and now Velma Dinkley really had given him a run for his money, and a heck of a scare if he was completely honest with himself. The feeling of relief when he saw it was 'just' her challenging him, quickly disappeared when she smartly started to torch his merchandise. He hadn't been ready to let Daphne go but when it became a choice of letting her go or losing a huge chunk of the drugs, there had been no contest in his mind.

When the girl finally kicked the bag towards him, he had lunged for it with all of the enthusiasm of a greedy kid snatching at an offered ice cream, before being knocked off his feet by an explosion in the factory behind them. _What the hell?!_ He thought in alarm, his head turning to look at the flames bursting from inside now as he clambered back to his feet after temporarily being thrown into the dirt. Both of the girls had also been knocked over from the force of the blast and Daphne was wailing in anguish now, screaming for the Jones boy.

The whole place hadn't gone up yet and Devon knew that the silo itself was located further away from where the explosion had happened. The boy would probably be OK (unless he had already been suffocated of course.) He idly wondered if Cain had started the fire deliberately but wasn't aware of the combustible materials that had undoubtedly caused the explosion, sending orange flames shooting into the night sky and shards of glass shattering to the ground. _Idiot_.

He grabbed the holdall tightly, relieved to have recovered a sizeable chunk of the merchandise at least. He smiled cruelly and turned his gun on Daphne and Velma, unable to resist one last taunt as he prepared to finally end his nieces' brave resistance.

"Fair play to you ladies," he said sincerely. "You came _so _close, and you have my heartfelt admiration, but we all know how this is going to end."

He pointed the gun straight towards them, surprisingly finding that he needed to work up the nerve to actually pull the trigger. It perhaps shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise; she wasn't his biological daughter. But he had very much treated her as one for most of her life, and although she stood in his way now once again, and he knew that he had to take care of her, he felt a desperate hollowness within him as he prepared to shoot her, that he frantically tried to shake away. _Come on Devon! Just get it over with! Bang, bang. Problem solved. Move on._

But he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it _wouldn't _even be 'problem solved'. He knew for example that there was no way Velma had arrived without the hippy and the dog for back up. Even after killing the girls, there could still be a lot of messy loose ends to take care of that he would much rather avoid. Even now with the gun poised, he remained incredibly reluctant to shoot them. After all, as Fred had correctly deduced, he tried to avoid the actual killing parts himself. He wasn't afraid of it but he had preferred to delegate the messy parts to his minions. The one and only time he had got his 'hands dirty' so far was dealing with the Daphne 'decoy' and that had only happened out of rage and sheer necessity. He found himself hoping the fire would spread and take care of Jones naturally but that would have to be his last act of some mercy. His hand tightened on the trigger resolutely now, he couldn't let them sense his hesitation.

That hesitation however, did suddenly cost him dear, as sounds of police sirens filled the air. _Impossible!_ But there it was, the sight was clear as day. He was absolutely stunned to see an absolute cavalcade of police cars roaring up the dirt track now. _No, this can't be happening! I took care of the police! _He thought frantically. _How are they here, how did they know where to come?!_

He knew realistically there could only be one answer and he turned furiously on them again now, his anger pouring off his face. The sheer brazenness of her to _defy_ his threats and get the police involved anyway! _No! I'm not having that, she needs to know I'm a man of my word and be punished accordingly. _He was going to have to take what she loved most, he had no regrets any more.

He spoke only to Daphne, locking eyes with her hatefully. "Oh you shouldn't have done that! You _really _shouldn't have done that! Lover boy is so dead now, if he isn't already!" Devon taunted her cruelly. He raised the walkie talkie to his lips to instruct Cain to go and finish off Jones properly. He knew Cain would be only too willing and glad.

"Cain, can you hear me? Kill him! Cain? Cain?"

He stared at the walkie in confusion, hearing only static in return now. _Shit. _He could see the police getting even closer now, and most disappointingly of all, there was no sign of Sheriff Douche. The flames from the factory were getting larger, Devon could see the fire was spreading rapidly. His plans were crumbling around him, survival was now the only name of the game. To the left, the girls, with a tsunami of cops about to descend behind them; to the right, a factory beginning to burn but with a potential escape route still valid. He knew there was only one option.

Casting a final glance at the girls and the oncoming police wave, Devon turned on his heel and sprinted as quickly as he could back towards the blazing factory. He felt his cape fall to the floor but there was no time to pause now.

When he got back inside the factory, although some parts were still untouched, parts of it were well ablaze now and the heat from the flames was instantly unbearable. In some ways it was just as well, dressed in his 'Dracula' outfit and now devoid of the cape, he was only in a very thin waistcoat so the heat itself was in some way welcome, the smoke however was not.

He made his way towards the entrance to the silo, lugging the holdall, pausing to grab up a black jacket that was either Cain's or Rick's. He put it to his face to avoid breathing in the acrid smoke that was filling up the factory. The approach surrounding the silo was well alight now but even through the flames and the smoke that filled every crevice now he could see one thing was evident, the door to the silo was hanging open, the grain had stopped falling, and Jones was gone.

It wasn't too surprising, it made sense that if Velma had gone to Daphne's aid, the boy would go to Fred's, but he was_ surprised_ that the boy had been successful. In getting him out of the silo room anyway. _Good luck on getting out of here alive boys! _He thought grimly, knowing it was going to be a challenge to get out himself. He wondered if Cain was still alive and called out into the smoke.

"Cain? Cain, are you here?"

The only response at first was the licking of the flames as they ate up every surface, and he eyed the rapid progress of the fire worriedly. When they reached as far as the garage and storage areas, it would be game over, he knew there would be no way out.

He hurried away from the silo, cocking his pistol in sudden alarm when he heard a groaning sound as he passed the bottom of a staircase.

He whipped around smartly and was astonished to see a badly bleeding Cain heaving himself down the steps from the control room.

"Devon," his henchman cried out weakly, and Devon could immediately see he was in a very bad way. "Devon, help me!"

Devon Blake showed no loyalty to anyone but his immediate instinct was to help his most dedicated servant. He had no idea what had happened to Cain, but it was obviously bad, he was crawling so slowly now. Devon stepped closer to him to get a better look and Cain weakly held out his hand. "Devon, please!"

But a second explosion, even louder than the first, suddenly tore through the factory, followed by the sound of a huge ton of metal crashing to the ground with a wailing scream. It sounded like the walkway had collapsed. Devon grimaced to himself, he knew it was going to take everything he had if he was going to survive this, there could be no room for passengers. He looked a little regretfully on Cain before turning away from him to Cain's instant despair. "Please Devon, help me!" "Please!" His cries soon subsided and Devon knew he had succumbed to the smoke that was threatening to envelope him too unless he got out of there.

He couldn't afford to dwell on his callous action, he hurried along until he came to the storage room where they had dragged Rick's body after Fred had catapulted him off the walkway. It wasn't Rick's body that was the important cargo in here, there was no telling how much time he had left. This was where they had stored most of the remaining merchandise but it would still be impossible to take it all. He stuffed as many packets of cocaine into a second holdall as it could hold and a couple of his spare 'Dracula' masks, and strapped it to his other shoulder. The two bags weighed him down terribly but he wasn't even entertaining leaving without it.

The fire had really taken hold now and he held the jacket closely in front of his mouth as he stumbled towards the garage. He could hear the sounds of other frantic voices now and he knew the police had entered, hopefully from the same way he had came in which would buy him some time as surely most of that had now been totalled.

He had to get to the garage where Fred had so nearly escaped, if he could make it in there and to a car, he had a chance.

He became obsessed with nothing else but reaching the garage and despite the destruction all around him, the endgame was in sight. His eyes lit up when he saw the truck sitting there relatively unscathed with the shutter doors open. He ignored the yelling and the spreading flames to beat a frantic path towards the truck. _Just a little further _Devon, he was going to make it after all. He got so buoyed by the elation of potentially escaping, that he ignored everything else around him as he tried to reach the truck. It was a dangerous oversight.

A pillar of burning wooden masonry above him suddenly snapped off without warning and struck him on the side of his face, sending him sprawling to the ground, and with his face instantly erupting in _agony. _He screamed, writhing around on the floor from the excruciating pain. His entire right side of his face felt like it was melting away and he screamed fearfully, rolling around on the ground desperately trying to put out the flames as smoke filled the garage.

"BLAKE!" he heard somebody scream in the darkness and he blindly pointed his pistol towards where he thought the voice was coming from.

"BLAKE! HOLY SHIT!" He heard the sound of someone running frantically towards him but of course he couldn't see them.

He vaguely recognised the voice as Sheriff Douche who took one look at him and immediately flung an entire blanket on his face.

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" Devon heard him instructing someone and he felt them get him to his feet and lay him gently on the back seat of a car, all the while his skin burned ferociously.

"You know where to go?!" Sheriff Douche asked someone frantically but the voices were already fading in and out for Devon. _"Dirt track...diversion...now! Get him... Christ sake... help him!"_

He tried to focus on the voices but he knew he was fading fast now. The last thing Devon heard was another explosion shake in his eardrums and the roar of a car engine coming to life before everything faded to black.

* * *

The pleasant yet distant sound of birds chirping heralded Devon's return to consciousness but when he opened his eyes, frustratingly his world remained black.

"Hello," he called out uncertainly. He was immediately unnerved by how weak and pathetic his own voice sounded. "Is anybody there?!"

"Ah, good morning sir," a nervous voice replied. "How are you feeling today?"

Devon felt like he had been hit by a tow truck, all of his senses seemed wrong, fragmented somehow and he couldn't even feel some of his face. He shifted his body a little bit and realised he was strapped to a table, he flexed his arms a couple of times but the movement was ultimately very weak. _Fuck._

"Would you mind telling me why I am fucking chained to a table?!" He tried to say angrily but it came out as a feeble whisper.

"Certainly sir," came the incredibly glib reply and Devon wanted nothing more but to roll his eyes but found he couldn't, he couldn't feel_ anything._

He tried not to panic but it was an incredibly unsettling feeling for anyone, even someone as tough and imposing as Devon Blake.

"Sir, you were burnt very badly, it is merely for your own safety, you are restrained."

"Nobody restrains _me _without my permission, who the hell do you think you are!" He tried to add some steel in his voice and frantically tried to sit up.

"Alex, I think we're ready for another sedative" the voice called across to someone and Devon squirmed in frustration.

"Don't you fucking dare!" he weakly protested.

"Mr Blake, this is for your own good, we have strict instructions."

_From who?!_ Devon thought wearily as he felt the pinprick in his arm but it was too late, he had already lost consciousness again.

...

When he awoke again, he could feel more of a sensation in his face this time, on the left side at least. There was still something draped over it though, slightly damp and blocking his whole sight. He felt more lucid this time too and he could ascertain a lot more. His wrists were pinned tightly by his side and his ankles pulled slightly to the side, he was restrained on a cold metal table. He could feel the leather wrapped taut and it felt more like a belt buckle. The kind they used to hold down mentally disturbed patients.

"You are beginning to heal up nicely," a new voice suddenly said by his side and he recognised this voice immediately. Sheriff Doug Douche_ sorry, Dalton._

"Doug? What the hell happened? Where am I?" He was pleased to hear that his voice sounded _a lot_ stronger this time.

"You're in a safe place Devon, you don't have to worry about that. You're here until you get your strength back. You got burnt up pretty badly."

_The factory, the falling masonry I remember that! _Devon thought. "I remember all that but what happened next?" He asked the Sheriff impatiently.

I don't want to burden you too much, things will make more sense when you're fully healed. You just need to rest and get your strength back. It's been a week already."

_Holy fuck! A week?!_

Devon thrashed awkwardly in the leather cuffs again, desperately trying to wrench his wrists loose. "Goddammit Doug, you get this thing off my face and untie me right now," he tried to command sternly.

"All in good time Devon, we cannot risk any further damage," Doug replied smoothly, and his voice floated closer still. He soon had a good idea why.

"No Doug, don't!" Devon pleaded, but with despair he felt the needle slide effortlessly back into his arm and then he felt no more.

...

When he next opened his eyes, the dark veil was thankfully gone and though his eyesight wasn't perfect, he could see the outline of Doug looming over him in concern.

"Yes, yes, you're healing quite nicely. And that right eye is looking _much_ better. A permanent mask would probably be a good idea though."

_Permanent? Just how badly damaged is my face? _

"Doug you better start to tell me what the hell is going on!" Devon demanded and to Devon's immense relief, Doug undid first the wrist cuffs and then the ankles.

Almost as soon as he was freed, Devon sat up abruptly and tried to swing himself around to climb off, only to be hit with an onslaught of nausea, and a concerned Doug having to catch him smartly as he almost pitched straight off the high table.

"Woah! Easy there Devon! Take it slow for Christ's sake. You have a lot of recovery ahead of you still."

Devon swayed in Doug's arms and then promptly threw up all over him. Doug didn't even flinch as he continued to support him and gently lowered him from the table to the floor.

Devon looked beyond him, seeing a load of medical equipment and a handful of other people. He seemed to be in some kind of a log cabin.

"Where are we?" he asked woozily. Doug had propped him against the wall carefully so that Devon was supported while he grabbed a towel to clean off the vomit from his clothes. He saw Devon about to reach up to his face to tug at the bandages they had put on and he leaned over, urging him not to.

"No! Devon! Don't!"

Devon could_ feel_ the damage of the burns, his skin was singed, his right eye socket felt swollen, he knew it was bad. Did he really want to know _how _bad?

He relented and placed his hands back to the floor. He saw Doug sigh in relief. "Well," he demanded again. "Where the hell are we Doug?"

"Where no one can find us I promise you that," Doug replied and the expression on the unbandaged side of Devon's face must have been wholly unpleasant so he added a little more information hastily. "We're in a cabin that I smoked out months ago. We're about fifty miles from Coolsville."

"Why would people be looking for me Doug? Wouldn't they assume I died in the fire, there would be three, maybe four burnt up bodies in there, it surely would take a while for them to figure out that none of them were me, if they even _could_ identify them at all. Surely most of it is charcoal now."

"It's been almost two weeks now. Only two bodies have been recovered from the building. Both now identified. Cain and Rick." Doug confirmed carefully.

Devon reacted with astonishment. "_Just _two? What about the Jones boy and his friend?"

He had felt for sure that there was _no way_ the boys could have survived,_ he_ had barely made it out alive but Doug shook his head in a little embarrassment.

"They got out. Apparently, from what I've heard at the station, they crawled out some old maintenance tunnel. They're fine. They all are."

Devon digested this news unhappily, '_**they all are' **_s_o Daphne and her friends had won after all? How was that even possible?!_

"You need to tell me the situation right now Doug," he calmly instructed though he was already beginning to panic on the inside. "Where does this leave us? The entire operation? Have I been made? Have _you_ been made?"

Doug paused, perhaps considering how much to tell Devon when he was still recovering from such undeniable physical trauma. He saw a couple of the other younger cops exchange uneasy glances with each other.

"The whole of Coolsville knows you're behind everything," he grimly confirmed. "There is suspicion that there is a level of corruption within the police ranks. The two detectives that have been brought in from state and led the raid, a young thing called Stella White and a cocky son of a gun called Will Barnum are ripping into _everything. _I don't think it will be long before they find the source of the corruption."

"Fuck Doug, I hope that doesn't mean you have been careless? Who are they?" he gestured towards the group of young men watching them anxiously.

"These are good men, _my _men. I've had them ship out the remaining merchandise, it's all here. We're making arrangements right now to get you out of the country. You need to lie low for a while yet, unfortunately these Detectives are looking into _everything,_ including re-opening an investigation into what happened to your wife and brother."

"WHAT THE HELL? I don't understand what the fuck happened?! Even Daphne calling the police wouldn't have brought on the wave that reigned down on the farm. Why couldn't you have stopped it?! You're the bloody Sheriff! She had no evidence! I destroyed it all!"

Doug looked monumentally uncomfortable now, and Devon sensed a deeply unpleasant truth was coming.

"It wasn't her. She wasn't the one who called the police."

"So her friends then? Velma? The hippy?" but Doug shook his head morosely. "Then WHO?! Who the fuck had the power to bring this entire shit show crashing down onto our heads like that?!"

"It was Ethan," Doug replied, leaving Devon truly stunned for a moment before he laughed loudly.

"Nah Doug, see that's not possible, because I _killed _Ethan!"

"You didn't."

"Well no, I suppose _I _didn't, but Cain did, he shot him and buried him! It couldn't possibly be fucking Ethan."

"I've seen him with my own eyes Devon, he's alive."

"No, no. That _cannot_ be right! He's dead. He's 100% dead," Devon concluded fully in denial.

"Cain, for whatever reason didn't kill the kid." Doug revealed the shocking truth. "Ethan made it to the highway and was picked up as a John Doe. He _was_ near death, I believe he had been stabbed? But the doctors were able to save him and when he regained consciousness, he told those detectives the whole sorry story – who he was, what had happened to him, including where you had the other kid holed up."

Devon's shock rapidly turned to immense fury and he cursed Cain, any sliver of remorse he had felt about leaving him to die, dissipating instantly.

"That fucking _useless _oaf!," he raged. "He _told_ me that he was dead! He said he was going to bury his body! How DARE he do this to me?! _That _was the reason for the cavalry charge?! Fucking Cain letting Ethan go?!"

"The editor of the _Chronicle _filed a missing person's report about Ethan. I tried everything to flatten it, when they realised he was related to your dau...ah...your niece I managed to convince everyone his disappearance was a mere suicide after her murder. Unfortunately, someone kept digging and they found Ethan's disturbed apartment. It didn't worry me though, you told me he was dead! The Detectives then made the link with the beat up John Doe and they spoke to him. It took some convincing that you were involved but this then led to the raid."

"And you couldn't stop it?! Remind me Doug, what I was paying you for?!" Devon was fully enraged now and ready to take his anger out on the weak town Sheriff he had easily manipulated to his will.

"It was impossible Devon! Ethan blew this thing wide open and if I hadn't sanctioned it, they would have known my involvement and I wouldn't have been able to be at least part of it. You're lucky that myself and some of the boys managed to get to the back of the factory before they did because we never could have got you out otherwise. You're welcome by the way."

"I'm grateful for you helping me Doug," he said wearily "but I'm struggling to get my head around this. I can't believe Ethan is alive, that's absolutely extraordinary. What a fucking twist! So what happens next?"

"Like I said, we're making plans to smuggle you out of the country. How does Brazil suit?"

"Fine."

"Good, then you can start again. We can get you out as soon as you are fully recovered. You are still pretty weak."

"I feel fine. It's just a few burns," he said disdainfully eyeing the burnt flesh he could see on his arms and legs.

"Devon you've been here nearly two weeks healing up, we shouldn't move too quickly."

"Bullshit," Devon sneered. "If I've been made, we need to move quickly, start making plans to get me out tomorrow. That is an order Doug."

"Okay," Doug reluctantly agreed. "Though even when you get to Brazil you really do need to lie low. Wait for the drama to pass."

"Drama?" Devon said in amusement.

"Perhaps you need to show him Sheriff?" one of the young guys piped up with his suggestion.

The Sheriff glared at the young charge but listened to his suggestion, he glanced at his watch seeing it was almost ten thirty. Perfect. He walked over and switched on the small TV set and the nightly news was just beginning.

"_The news in California tonight is of course still dominated by the deadly downfall of millionaire businessman and entrepreneur Devon Blake._

_Blake, who owns a string of successful pharmaceutical businesses in Coolsville and several neighbouring towns, was dramatically revealed to be behind the drugs war in Coolsville almost two weeks ago now. _

_The news came to light after a tense hostage situation culminated in the complete and utter destruction of a disused farmhouse and grain silo. Two bodies have since been recovered from the devastated structure, and have been revealed locally as those of Cain Wilson and Rick Miller. It is still widely believed that Devon Blake himself was able to flee the scene to avoid capture. Events have taken an even darker turn this week with the news that the deaths of Devon's younger brother Matt, and wife Eve, are now being re-opened on suspicion of foul play involved. Matt and Eve Blake died in 1995 when the car they were travelling in burst into flames. _

_In addition, it has been confirmed that Devon Blake is to be treated as a fugitive who is now wanted on headline charges of murder and abduction in addition to a string of other charges._

_Locals in Coolsville have reacted with shock and abhorrence to the allegations, having previously seen Blake as something of a town saviour, he is widely credited as reviving the town._

_Yesterday, a second business of Blake's was firebombed, and more graffiti has appeared on the gates of his palatial property. His businesses have been raided by local law enforcement where an undisclosed quantity of illegal drugs were seized, and several more arrests have been made. Devon Blake himself however, remains at large and the public are once again strongly reminded that he is a dangerous individual and if seen, you should contact the police immediately and under __**NO**__ circumstances should you approach him."_

Doug switched off the report before turning to Devon grimly to catch his reaction. Devon laughed loudly, clearly in disbelief.

"I can't believe they actually did it. I know they had been plotting to take me down for a while but they actually took away everything that I have worked so hard for. My name is now mud."

"Like I said Devon, you need a fresh start, a new country, you don't even have to ever come back to the States. A business in South America, Europe or even South East Asia could be incredibly lucrative, it would make what you built up here look like small fr..."

Doug's throat seized up and with good reason as Devon's arm had shot out to grab him around the neck. For a full thirty seconds he squeezed but then finally Devon let go, leaving Sheriff Douche coughing and spluttering.

"You think I'm going to just run away? From _my _town? You think I'll actually let them get away with what they did to me?!" He stood up abruptly and ripped off the bandages before anyone could stop him. He didn't need a mirror, he could _feel _the damage, the burnt flesh, he knew half of his face had been disfigured grotesquely before he even put his hand up to confirm it. It felt disgusting. **He** was disgusting. Not only had they devastated his business, they had devastated _him. _He was damaged goods and it was all their fault.

Well, he maybe down but Devon Blake was not out just yet. It might take a while but he wasn't done with Coolsville. He wasn't done with Daphne, Ethan or their friends. Not by a long shot. And now it was no longer just them.

"You need to get everything ready to get me out tomorrow night," he instructed the hapless Sheriff firmly. "And in the meantime I want you and your boys to find me _everything _you can on Detectives Stella White and Will Barnum. It looks like I have a new enemy in town."

* * *

**_Over six months later...Sao Paulo, Brazil. June_**

After six months of mild recuperation Devon Blake was feeling _much_ better. He had come to terms with his facial disfigurement and rather than let his burns be the talking point he had taken probably the only piece of advice he had ever accepted from Sheriff Douche and that was to wear a mask. He had adopted a _Phantom of the Opera _style face mask but instead of his being white, it was black. He felt like a comic book villain wearing it and he knew it commanded respect from his new team. His burns weren't quite on the level of say Harvey Dent, but nevertheless he felt a heck of a lot better wearing it than not. He didn't let _anyone _see him without it. Not since he had arrived in Brazil.

His new team compromised almost entirely of young South American drug runners who seemed to idolise him, and a couple of the young dirty cops who had decided to flee with him rather than hand themselves in with Sheriff Dalton.

Ah Sheriff _Douche,_ true to form, the idiot had caved from probably minimal pressure from the new dynamic duo and had confessed all, sealing his own fate as he told the Detectives that he had been working for Devon all along with several corrupt officers and had helped to facilitate his escape. He had stopped short of revealing his current whereabouts but a couple of the young cops at the station had panicked and raced back to Devon. The planned extraction was pushed forward and he was smuggled out on a late ferry. A couple of days and transport swaps later, he and the fleeing cops arrived in Brazil. He admired their loyalty and kept them on his team, especially after learning one of the boys' first aid skills had probably kept him alive in the immediate aftermath of his face burning off and had certainly saved his sight. He never bothered trying to remember their names however, Trevor, Jon and Robert or something like that, something beginning with a J and R anyway. They had served him incredibly well especially with his requests for updates on Coolsville. They still had some unblemished connections there.

_Coolsville._ The source of all the trouble and upheaval. And with every month passing there were mixed updates coming from there.

The first thing Devon and his team had found out was the delightful unexpected consequence of events there. The entire town had begun to fall into something of a slump and local criminals had risen up, possibly wrestling for control of the place in his absence. Slowly but surely, crime levels had been ticking upwards and they revealed a most pleasing trend.

Inspired perhaps by his own costumed antics, many of the town's underlings carried out their nefarious scheming in their own Halloween style disguises. First, there had been a straight up 'ghost' at the old Vasquez Castle and then delightfully, a werewolf and Mummy. Then it sounded like they had got especially creative as he was told of a life size puppet caper at the theatre. He couldn't help but salute these crazy bastards who were slowly creating mayhem across the town.

And who was there to save the day? Well, Coolsville's newest heroes of course. Sure, the Detective duo were very much a presence but they weren't the real stars of the show. Not really.

It was a development that caused him much disbelief and he had refused to believe it at first but soon more and more internet stories were coming out about them and their adventures, which he found himself checking for avidly.

Yes, his niece and her adopted friends (who once kidnapped her of course, but this all seemed to have been conveniently swept under the rug) had formed their own _mystery solving_ business and were actively going around helping to take down the newly formed costumed 'villain alliance' of Coolsville. Ethan didn't seem to be a major part of this 'venture' but his name often cropped up in articles about them so it was obvious he was still there lending support. He had returned to journalism as far as Devon was aware.

Devon followed all of their exploits with _great_ interest. It didn't sound like it was all plain sailing, on more than one occasion, 'peril' had been mentioned in interviews with them, and he had to admit this definitely intrigued him. Why, after everything they went through, were they actively seeking out danger again?

Of course his main priority was his blossoming new drugs trade here and _that_ was really starting to take off nicely, but as time went by, his desire to return to the States became all consuming . He could have stayed here for life, he felt completely comfortable and safe. The gang members here were frighteningly efficient and they seemed to treat him with honour and cult status. They had an exceptional system going on and the local cops were even more useless than those in his home town. He was making money, probably more than he had made in Coolsville and yet it wasn't enough. A fire burned in him and he knew what it was. Unfinished business. They had taken so much from and he thirsted for revenge. It threatened to consume him.

As the months rolled on and summer turned into autumn, the desire for his revenge grew even stronger as a fateful anniversary approached but he knew this had to be sophisticated. This wasn't a simple revenge hit he could carry out in one go, there were too many people involved. It might take months, over a year even but he didn't want to rush it. Quietly, he started to formulate a plan that would begin around Halloween.

His 'hit list' contained seven never changing names:

His dearest niece and nephew – **Daphne** and **Ethan**

Coolsville's finest protectors – Detectives **Stella White **and **Will Barnum**

The rest of _Mystery Incorporated - _ **Fred Jones,** **Velma Dinkley,** **Shaggy Rogers** (Apparently THAT was the preferred name of choice!)

And technically there was even an eighth if you included a dog called **Scooby Doo.**

This however, was a long game and he couldn't wait to get started and set the chess pieces in motion.


End file.
